Gifts and Curses
by RK9
Summary: A CSI fanfic with a twist. A girl who can heal and see into the future has begun work at the lab. What's going to happen? COMPLETED! Chapter 19 is in!
1. Default Chapter

Gifts and Curses

By RK9

Disclaimer: CSI belongs to Anthony Zuiker. I don't own them. I only own my OCs, and I plan on keeping them.

Notes: Thanks to Impulse for the awesome beta work and help with ideas! If you people like this story, you have her to thank. That's why this entire fic is dedicated to Impulse! Yeah! Impulse, you hear that? This fic's for you, girl!

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**Chapter 1**

All was quiet in the hospital room that night as the little girl in the bed fought for her life. Five-year-old Chelsea Richmond was sick, desperately so, but none of the doctor's in the hospital could help her. She had some new unknown disease, and so far, none of the treatments had helped her.

Which was what she was doing here tonight. The young woman slowly moved towards the bed from the shadows of the room. Her shoulder-length dark brown hair obscured her features, which were clearly half-chinese, half-something else. Her eyes, the same shade as her hair, were intense as she focused on Chelsea.

Slowly, the mysterious young woman took hold of the tiny hand. Chelsea turned in her restless sleep, and murmured something, but didn't stir. The woman closed her eyes. A soft white glow filled the room, surrounding Chelsea's body. Brown eyes opened, and the half-Asian left the room, soon to be lost in the crowd of medical staff and visitors.

Meanwhile, Chelsea Richmond opened her eyes. For the first time in years, she felt…different. Healthy.

And she owed it all to the young healer, who now stood outside the hospital, ready to head to her work at the LVPD. Alexis Shan slid a pair of sunglasses on, and smiled.

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Alex fought to keep from falling asleep as she worked on processing the evidence. Fatigue was one of the undesired side effects of her powers. Healing always took a toll on her, and the young woman knew it had been a stupid idea to heal Chelsea, especially before coming into work today. She should have waited until after shift.

Coffee. That was what she needed. Coffee…what was she thinking? Alex had tasted the graveyard shift coffee before. It tasted like a mixture of mud and tar, and was usually in danger of being contaminated by one of her supervisor's experiments. Grissom had a habit of leaving his little science projects lying around the break room. Alex sighed.

Risk her life taking the coffee, or risk her job by falling asleep while processing evidence? Choices, choices, choices. Alex padded over to the fridge, hoping against hope that there would be some caffeine-based soft drinks inside.

Aha! Alex grabbed the last can of Coke out of the fridge, then paused before opening the tab. Reopening the fridge door, she sniffed suspiciously, then spotted it. A jar of some unknown fungi was inside, right around where she had taken the can from. Suddenly she lost her appetite for Coke, and replaced the can.

Alex padded back into the Trace lab, where she had been working. She'd just have to keep plugging away then.

Just then, one of her co-workers entered the room.

"Hey, Nick," Alex greeted, smiling at the Texan.

Nick Stokes grinned at her. "Got anything?"

"Well, nothing that means anything to me, but maybe you can make sense of the traces of sand I found on the vic's shoe?" Alex handed him a printout. "It's quarry sand."

Nick's brown eyes widened, and he grabbed the printout. "No kidding? Thanks Alex." He turned to leave, and added, "All of a sudden I'm glad you're working Trace tonight."

"Yeah, yeah, you owe me. Now get going, and solve that case!" Alex playfully shoved Nick out the door.

That was when it happened – her bare hands came into contact with Nick's arm – and Alex's eyes widened as a vision hit her.

_Gun flashing as a shot was fired -_

_Blood spraying out of an open wound -_

_Nick, falling to the ground –_

"Alex?Alex?" Alex jerked in surprise, and snapped out her vision to find Nick shaking her gently. "You okay?" he was asking. "You seemed a little out of it there…"

Alex heard herself respond, "I'm fine," but inside, she was already going over the brief images she had seen. Was something going to happen to Nick?

"Well," Nick began uncertainly, "If you're sure..I have a crime scene to head over to…"

Alex turned quickly, and said, "Oh yeah, definitely…don't let me keep you."

Practically shooing Nick from the Trace lab, Alex leaned against the table and took a deep breath. "Okay," she muttered to herself. "Okay. What just happened?"

_I think I just saw my friend die._

Alex shivered. She wasn't used to having visions. Once in a while, they hit, but not often, thankfully. Bad enough that she was exhausted from healing Chelsea, now she had to see Nick dying? Alex felt as though the mental strain was killing her. The images from her vision suddenly flooded her mind again, for some reason the one with Nick dying kept replaying itself.

That did it. Alex bit her lip, and made her decision.

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And if you all want to know what happens to Nick....well, that's another chapter. In order for the next chapter to be posted, RK9 needs a little....shall we say incentive? Press the pretty purple button, and drop a review...and I'll add the next chapter when I feel like there are enough reviews. (evil grin) Like it, hate it, I want to know, you see. So, read, review, and sit back...the next chapter should be here soon enough.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own CSI. If I did, there would be no GSR, ever.

Notes: Once, again, thanks Impulse for your support, ideas, and beta work! Way to go, genius!

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**Chapter 2**

The house loomed dark and silent before her as Alex padded quietly through the darkness. This was the primary crime scene, where Nick had been headed. She just hoped he hadn't actually arrived yet.

There was a lone officer at the front door, keeping watch over the scene, and the requisite crime scene tape surrounded the perimeter, keeping civilians out. Nick should be inside.

And so was whoever was going to shoot him. Alex swallowed hard.

Now the question was, what could she do?

Sneaking in proved surprisingly easy, partially because the officer on watch was a newbie, and Alex was particularly skilled at sneaking into places. She'd done plenty of creeping in to her bedroom as a teenager.

Now, she focused once more on the vision, ignoring the migraine that was threatening to make its presence felt in her head. The images swirled and danced in her mind, but all she wanted were the details. She needed to see where the perp would be hiding, where it was Nick was shot, what exactly happened.

_- The perp exploded out of a closet in the bedroom, shooting his way free, and surprised Nick, who was using a pair of tweezers to retrieve something from under the bed…_

_- Gunfire lit the room, and Nick fell forward, his blood soaking into the carpet before his entire body jerked once, then went completely still…_

Alex gasped as the vision ended. The migraine that had been lurking now hit with the force of a ten-ton weight in her mind, and she staggered towards the stairs, gripping the railing and practically dragging herself upstairs with only one thought in her mind – to save Nick.

The bedroom door was open, and Alex closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and went for it. She stumbled in on a startled Nick, who was kneeling by the bed with a pair of tweezers in his hand.

"Nick, duck!" she yelled, moving to the closet and flinging the doors open – only to have what felt like a cement mixer slam into her, knocking her down. Alex's mind barely registered a sudden pain in her ankle, then everything was a blur of motion and confusion, and suddenly Nick had his gun out, aimed straight at the skinny kid who had been hiding in the closet, and who was aiming a gun right back at Nick.

Alex winced, her head really felt like it was splitting now, but under the circumstances, it didn't look like she would be getting any relief anytime soon.

She took a moment to study the kid. He had spiky black hair, wild eyes, and looked a little like her kid brother back home – except for the .22 in his hand.

She glanced over at Nick, whose eyes never left the perp. The hand that was holding his weapon was shaking ever so slightly, and Alex suddenly remembered that Nick had had a gun pointed at his head twice before already… could he handle this? Would he be okay?

Suddenly, the kid whipped his weapon up and fired! Nick reacted automatically, firing in response – Alex screamed as Nick hit the ground, blood soaking into his shirt. The perp hit the ground on the other side of the room, grabbing at a gunshot wound in his stomach.

Alex's head whipped back and forth between them as she tried not to panic. Okay, okay, calm down, she told herself. You can heal them, remember? You can heal them!

Even as she thought it, she knew it would be impossible. Her mind was tired out from using her powers so much. Healing Chelsea, the vision at work, reviewing the vision for details… her migraine was steadily getting worse too. She wasn't Superwoman, she had limits.

Alex stared at both men, and a single tear trickled down her cheek – she was going to have to choose between her friend and colleague, and a man who had killed more than one person before in his life. She would have to choose who was going to live, and who was going to die.

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Should Nick die? Would I be so cruel? (evil grin) The answers in the next chapter, folks, but RK9 wants some reviews before she puts it up. Now, would you be so cruel and not press the pretty purple button below? Don't be so cruel, please! RK9's a review junkie, she needs to know if you like or dislike her fic! Now, if you press the pretty purple button, the shiny little button, RK9 will send George Eads's dog to those who review! Okay?

Shout-outs go to:

Impulse5: You sound like Brennan! Who are you and what have you done with my beta-reader? Or at least her brain cells? (composes herself) And don't worry, I'll corrupt you into liking CSI before long... (evil grin)

Lightheart211: Thanks dear! I'll corrupt you to CSI along with Impulse!

Rebel3134: Glad you liked it, and here's chapter 2. ;)


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own George Eads's dog Maverick, I don't own CSI...what else don't I own?

Notes: This chapter is half betaed by Impulse, and half by wox-77...So, I dunno if there are any plotholes or whatever, it isn't easy to work with two betas....Anyway, hope Impulse won't mind, but this third chapter is dedicated to wox-77....Thanks, sis!**  
**

**Chapter 3 **

There were no words to describe Alex's feelings as she struggled with her conscience and feelings. Looking out the window at the full moon, Alex closed her eyes, and did the one thing that had helped her to adulthood being as different as she was - she listened to her heart. And inside, a deep feeling of peace and calmness filled her, steadying her for what was to come, what she had to do.

She moved over to the man she was going to heal, carefully placed her hands over his wound. He was only semi-conscious, and Alex knew he wouldn't remember any of this when he woke up. She ripped up his shirt, exposing the wound, and closed her eyes. The familiar soft white glow filled the room, surrounding the young man, especially bright where he had been shot.

For a moment, Alex's brain felt like it was going to explode, but she shook her head, and prayed for the strength to finish this. Then, it was over, and she looked down at the now-healthy, but still unconscious young man, and started shaking at how close she had come to losing him.

"You'll be okay now, Nick," she whispered.

Then, self-preservation and survival instincts kicked in. She had to get rid of the bloody shirt, or people would start asking questions that she didn't know how to answer. Alex could just see her boss Gil Grissom interrogating her in one of the interrogation rooms at CSI, asking her if she remembered how Nick had a bloody ripped up shirt but no visible wounds, or even a bruise.

What exactly was she going to say to that? 'Well, you see, he was shot, but I healed him. I have these powers, you see…'

Even Grissom would go on instant 'psycho alert'.

Alex got up, shaking, though now because she was exhausted, and needed to rest badly. Tiredly she ripped off the part of the shirt that was bloody, and went downstairs to get rid of it in the neighbor's trash can. Then she went back upstairs, to Nick, and the dying suspect.

Alex fought back the sudden attack of guilt that she hadn't helped him too, but the very idea of using her powers again made her body ache all over in protest. Instead, she took out her cell, and called for back-up. Then, knowing there was nothing more she could do, she went over to Nick, took his hand, and waited, even as the events of the day caught up with her, going off like a bomb in her mind. Alex closed her eyes, and let the blackness take over…

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Alex woke up in a white room that made her wonder at first if maybe she was in heaven. Then her eyes opened fully and she made out her co-worker, Catherine Willows, in a chair beside her bed.

"Cath?" she asked, tiredly. "What – where am I?"

"From what the doctor told me, you're lucky you're not up in the clouds, playing a harp," replied Catherine, smiling at her in relief.

Alex managed to sit up, smiling back, and said, "A harp? I dunno…I think electric guitar would be more my type."

Both women shared a quiet chuckle, and then, as the events of the last night came flooding back, Alex asked, "Where's Nick?"

"He's in the next room," said Catherine. "Warrick paged me earlier when he woke up."

Alex suddenly knew that Cath was here to ask her questions. Time to start lying, she thought wearily.

"What happened?" she asked quietly.

Catherine studied her carefully, then said, "You tell me. I mean, dispatch got your call for back-up, and we arrived on the scene to find you and Nick unconscious and a dead suspect. What happened?"

Alex shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. I can't remember. Did you ask Nick?"

I should be nominated for an award or something, she thought to herself.

"You can't remember?" Catherine repeated, sounding a little like a parrot. "Anything? Not even why you were at the crime scene in the first place?"

Alex screwed up her face a little, like she was struggling to remember. "No…I dunno…maybe I was just in the neighbourhood and dropped by to see how Nick was doing?" She shrugged again. "I'm sorry Cath, I can't remember."

Please buy it, she prayed.

Cath looked uncertain, then she smiled and said, "It's okay, Alex. Hey, maybe Nick will be able to provide more answers."

"I hope so," agreed Alex. "I really am sorry, Catherine."

"Hey, don't worry about it." Catherine patted Alex on the shoulder. "You just rest up, so you can get back to work. I think Hodges misses you back at the lab."

Alex laughed, the image of the rather stuck-up lab tech caring about her or anyone other than himself being truly hilarious to her.

Catherine patted her on the shoulder once more, and Alex watched her leave the room. She sighed. Lying was part of her life, especially since she needed to survive, to keep her differences hidden from the world. Still, it didn't mean she had to like it.

"I'm sorry, Cath," she whispered, looking towards the door her friend had just exited. "I'm so sorry.

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The lab bustled with activity, and Nick wondered how he had never noticed exactly how noisy the place could get before. He had been released from the hospital yesterday, with the doctor's strict orders to get some rest, but had come in to work today anyway. After all, he reasoned, he was fine, except for that itchy feeling in his stomach that refused to go away. Nick was just hoping it would wear off soon.

Catherine had been all over him yesterday, fussing over him, asking him questions, asking what had happened, what Alex had been doing there. The trouble was, Nick couldn't tell her anything, simply because he didn't _remember_ anything.

Well, nothing that made any sense, anyway. He remembered going to the crime scene, collecting evidence in the bathroom, the living room, the bedroom…that was when it started to feel like a really bad dream.

He remembered, vaguely, Alex entering the room, shouting for him to get down, and throwing open the closet…

Throwing open the closet?

Nick sat up. She'd entered the room, and shouted for him to get down, then thrown open the closet, and the perp had slammed into her…but…had Alex _known_ that the perp had been there? It sure seemed like she had…had she _known_ beforehand that the perp was in the closet? Had she?

Nick shook his head slowly to himself. No. He had no proof. No proof whatsoever…Nick knew that the case had been classified as unsolved. Their only suspect was dead, and neither he nor Alex remembered anything.

His mind replayed to him the image of Alex crashing into the bedroom, throwing open the door, and his expression grew troubled. She said she didn't remember anything…

Or did she?

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Right, thanks to those who reviewed, but RK9 needs more feedback to feed her addiction...I'll send Gary Dourdan to all who press the purple button - you can't expect me to send George Eads, he's mine!

Okay, shout-outs:

Impulse5 - Don't call me mean, genius, I was only joking! Of course you don't sound like Brennan, of course you're smarter than him! This from a fellow evil genius, of course.

jbr12476 - Thanks for the review and the compliments. Wish i could give you George, but he's mine...you'll have to settle for Gary or Billy Petersen. As for where I'll go with this fic... well... (evil laugh) Just wait and see...

The Converter - Uh...I'm just a naive little girl from Malaysia who doesn't understand much English...and I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I get what you mean. Could you be more specific? Where was I spiteful? What geeks? What relationship? And I hope you'll continue reading this anyway, maybe I'm a little biased, but...this story's gonna be great!

Forensic Photographer711 - Glad you like it, and hey, cliffhangers mean us authors get to have some fun! (evil grin)

love N/S - As I explained to jbr12476, you can't have George, George is _mine_. And I'm going to assume you enjoyed this fic since you gave me two wonderful reviews. ;) Thanks, and enjoy the story.

Im Stoked - Hey, watch who you're calling an imp! You're talking to a bona fide evil genius in training! Seriously, glad you're enjoying the fic. Here's more suspense for you in this chapter, have fun reading - see you at the next update I hope! ;) And FYI, it isn't me who decides when the chapter goes up. Talk to my beta reader, without her okay, I'm not allowed to post the next installment.

Amaran Barrantes - This chapter should satisfy you for now, dear, have fun reading it, reviewing it, and then...have fun waiting for the next chapter! Kudos!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI. But as an evil genius in training...rest assured I have an evil plan in the works to steal...I mean, "borrow" the rights. Any plotholes you see, or think you see, are purely imaginery.

Notes: Thanks again to Impulse for betaing, and hope everyone enjoys this cliffhanger...

**Chapter 4**

It was the start of yet another shift, and Alex found herself staggering into work again after another night volunteering at Desert Palm hospital. Somehow, her inner self managed to get her safely to the break room, where she gratefully accepted a cup of coffee from Catherine.

"Thanks," she managed to croak, before downing the steaming cup in one gulp.

Glancing around, she noticed all of the night shift CSIs had gathered in the break room, apparently waiting for Grissom and their assignments. Warrick was stretched out on the sofa, Catherine had claimed a seat at the table, Sara was trying to find Greg's private stash of Blue Hawaiian coffee, while Greg himself stood nearby, smirking at her efforts.

And Nick – Nick was staring directly at her, maybe even past her, with a funny expression on his face. Alex squirmed a little, feeling slightly uncomfortable with his scrutiny.

"What?" she asked him. "Do I have tomato sauce on my blouse? Is there a rat building a nest in my hair?"

Nick started, and replied quickly, "No, no…just thinking. I wasn't looking at you, I swear!"

Slight hesitation while Alex waited, staring patiently at him. She knew the moment he cracked.

"Okay, so I'd like to have a word with you about something…can you meet me after shift?" asked Nick.

Alex stared at him, then said slowly, "After shift? I suppose so…at Rosa's? We can eat while we talk."

Nick nodded, that unreadable mask appearing on his face again. Alex felt a moment of anguish, she and Nick had grown close since she had started work at the LVCL a year ago. It wasn't like him, to be this…distant.

Shrugging it off, Alex nodded to everyone, and said to Nick, "Okay, see you after shift then."

Nodding, he stared down at the floor and didn't reply.

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Alex checked her watch and uttered a curse. She was late to meet with Nick, but she had been processing some last minute evidence for Grissom. Wondering what he wanted to talk with her about, she headed down the hallway.

"Alex!" Alex stopped at the sound of Catherine's voice. Groaning inwardly, Alex turned to apologize, and found Catherine offering her a sandwich.

"Want one?" she asked. "It's been a long shift."

Alex noted the peanut butter and brightened. She loved peanut butter, maybe a quick sandwich wouldn't hurt?

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Nick eyed the familiar surroundings of Rosa's, a little restaurant the team often stopped at for breakfast after shift. Alex was late, but he had seen Grissom headed her way with some evidence for processing, so he didn't hold it against her.

Suddenly, unbidden, the image of a peanut butter sandwich entered his mind. It was so real, he could almost smell the peanut butter, almost _taste_ it.

Nick gagged. He hated peanut butter, had hated it since he was a child and had almost choked on it.

So why the hell was he visualizing a huge PB&J sandwich now?

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Alex finished her sandwich, and grinned at Catherine. "Thanks, Cath. I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches."

"No problem," said the older woman. "Now, go have fun on your date with Nick."

Alex almost gagged at that. "It's not a date," she said calmly. "He just wants to talk to me about something, that's all."

Catherine winked at her. "Yeah," she grinned, "Sure."

Alex shook her head and rose to leave, smiling, wondering vaguely why the words 'date with Nick' had made a small part of her heart leap with joy.

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Alex finally entered Rosa's, and spotted Nick within fives minutes, sitting at a table, nursing a cup of coffee in his hands.

"Hey, stranger," she greeted, moving to his table. "This seat taken?"

Nick glanced up at her, and offered a smile. "Yeah – by my invisible friend. But don't worry, you can sit in his lap."

Alex snorted, but sat down across from her friend. "So," she asked as Nick signaled the waitress to bring some coffee for her. "What exactly did you want to talk to me about?"

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Read, review, and Gary Dourdan shall be sent to you! Hey, that rhymes!

Shout-outs:

The Converter - Oh, I've noticed, but I'm afraid the only G/S I support is Greg/Sara. I always seem to pick the pairing that goes extinct after a few seasons...except in my heart. You'll notice the majority of Mutant X fans are Brennan/Shalimar fans...(shudders). Me, I'm a die-hard Jesse/Shal fan. As for more people reading it if it were a GS fic...if that's the case, i don't care if no one reads my fic. I'm not going to sacrifice my opinions and values just so people will read my fic. No, if GS fans don't want to read just because I don't agree with the GSR ship, they don't have to. Life goes on.

Im Stoked - Gosh, that does look like a plothole, doesn't it. Kudos for noticing, but if you'll remember, neither Nick nor Alex remember anything that happened to them. Well, Alex remembers but she's not saying. So even if someone did ask, Nick would say, "I don't remember how I tore my shirt. I don't remember if I shot that guy or not." and etc... Gary Dourdan should arrive soon, but Malaysian post is so unreliable...

franny - Thanks for your kind comments. As for no romance...Well. I don't know about that, but I'm not going to let the cat out of the bag just yet. You'll have to read and see. ;)

love N/S - You like my profile? (faints in happiness) She likes my profile! Glad you like my profile, but what about the story?

DCHeesegirl - Eric Szmanda is on his way, but like I said, Malaysian post can be so untrustworthy...glad you liked the story, keep reading! Oh, and I often wish I had powers too, any powers....and I do, in my dreams.

Colleen - Four reviews? Yippee! Just for that, I'll lend you George Eads for a week, then you have to send him back...and I'll throw in a box of chocolates too, for free! Thanks so much, hope you enjoy thischappie!

Okay, shout-outs done...people, read, and press the purple button! Let your inner child be attracted into pressing the shiny purple button!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything but Alexis and Chorizo. If I did, you'd know, cause I've never been able to control my gloating too well...And as usual, any perceived plotholes are imaginary.

Notes: Thanks to Jo for the Chorizo idea. I don't care if you were just bitching or not either, your extra beta work sure helped! And thanks to my second, Impulse!

More notes: Funny, I've just found out that the Mozilla Firefox browser only shows up to chapter 2 of this fic, when it's obvious I've posted five...do I need to post a 'best viewed with Internet Explorer' thingy up now?

**Chapter 5 **

Now that the moment had actually come, Nick found he wasn't sure how to go about asking Alex what he wanted to know. Alex was a good friend, a fine co-worker, and Nick had been raised to never hurt any woman's feelings – at least not knowingly.

"Well," he started, while Alex sipped her coffee patiently, "I wanted…no, I needed to ask you – Alex, don't you remember anything at all about what happened at the unsolved crime scene we were at?"

He thought Alex looked startled for a moment, but then it was gone, and she kept her expression calm as she replied, "No, Nick. I don't remember anything. Why do you ask? Do you remember something?"

Nick looked at Alex. Impulsively, he reached out, took her face in his hands, and studied her eyes. They were brown, mysterious as always, revealing nothing. "You know what I remember?" he asked slowly. A little fear started to seep into the chocolate orbs as he continued, "I remember you rushing into the bedroom, and shouting for me to duck. I remember you opening the closet door, barreling towards it – like you knew, Alex. Like you _knew_ he was in there."

Alex stared at him, helplessly shaking her head as he finished, "Alex, if you _knew_, all along, that he was in there…how could you have known? How? Unless…unless you were in on it?"

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Alex backed off, staring at Nick in horror. "How can you even think that?" she demanded. "Nick, I thought we were friends. You should know I'd never be in on anything criminal!"

Nick looked at her. His face was grim. "So, you do remember that?"

Alex wondered why she had this sudden urge to cry, and just tell him everything. She was so sick and tired of being sick and tired of lying.

Okay. Go on the defensive. Alex stood abruptly. "Look, Nick," she said, tiredly, "If you're thinking what I know you're thinking, then you don't know me as well as I thought you did. You're not the person I thought you were either, after all."

With that, she turned to leave. But Nick wasn't done. "Alex," he began, starting to get up, to follow her -

Swearing through clenched teeth at the unwanted beeps, Nick unhooked his pager and then his mobile to reach Catherine.

"Yes, Cath?" he asked, watching as Alex disappeared into the early dawn.

"Nick, you have to get back here. And bring a camera."

"What?" he repeated. "Why?"

"Greg's monkey is trying to flush Grissom's tarantula down the toilet. Get back here now!"

Nick stared at the phone as Catherine hung up. Had she just said what he thought she'd said?

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Returning to the lab, he found a crowd gathered around the men's room. It didn't take long for the level 3 CSI to gather information about what the scenario was.

Apparently Greg had agreed to take care of his friend's young monkey while he was away on holiday, and had brought it with him to the lab so he could keep an eye on it. The monkey, Chorizo (which was Spanish for sausage), had escaped from its leash and found its way to Grissom's office. The man himself was out at a crime scene at the moment, but the monkey had managed to get a hold of Grissom's precious tarantula and was attempting to flush it down the toilet.

And now, Greg was trying to coax it not to, while Warrick had the tarantula's glass case ready for when Chorizo dropped it. Both men were apparently hoping to accomplish this and get rid of the mess Chorizo had left in the office before the graveyard shift supervisor returned.

Nick grinned in spite of everything that had happened to him today. Now he knew why Catherine had wanted a camera – blackmailing Greg was going to be a lot of fun.

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Alexis paced the confines of her bedroom. To say she was upset would be an understatement. She was more than upset, she was…miserable.

What if Nick found out about her powers? she wondered. She'd have to leave again. Every single time someone found her out, it was the same. The media would hound her, she would lose her job, and she'd end up slinking out of town with her tail between her legs, like a dog from the gutters.

A single tear slid down her cheek. She had been in Las Vegas for three years now, far longer than anywhere else. She had grown to love the city, and her work, and her colleagues, who had also become her friends. Heck, she even loved her supervisor's pet tarantula and his cockroaches. She'd even promised herself that if she stayed here long enough, she'd get a dog, or cat, or maybe an exotic pet like an iguana.

Rising as another tear joined the first, Alex went to look out over the Strip, and closed her eyes, wishing that she could foresee herself having a happy future for once.

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Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and I'm still sending George Eads plushies to everyone who reviewed!

Shout-outs(almost couldn't do these because my Mozilla FireFox browser was only showing the reviews I got for chapter one and two):

DCHeesegirl - Channeling powers....now, do you really expect me to let the cat out of the bag? Tsk, tsk...I shall remain silent. You'll have to keep reading and see. As for the Catherine being a waitress in the last chapter - man, I didn't even realise I was doing that. It's just that I like Catherine a whole lot more than Sara, so I use her character more, though some would say 'abuse'. Sara I like about as much as a trip to the dentist to pull out all my teeth without Novocain.And one last thing? I'm glad Greggo arrived safely. Give him a hug for me. And here's some Blue Hawaiian coffee so you can keep him quiet.

love N/S - George Eads? A superhero? Not so sure about that...me, I like him right now on CSI. And I'm glad to meet someone who bypasses all the GSR stories here too! Yay! Even if I'm not quite a die-hard snicker.

Im Stoked - The Malaysian postal service is to blame, not me. I have nothing to do with their unreliable service. Anyway, DCHeesegirl received Greg safely, I don't see why Maverick and Gary didn't arrive. And I know this imagined plothole of yours (see disclaimer for chapters 4 and five) was in chapter 3. I wrote the story. My beta pointed out the same thing to me. But you see, when Nick came to, he was in the hospital, with amnesia. I don't care who asked him what happened to his shirt, he wouldn't have been able to answer. He wouldn't have any idea either. They could return it tohim, but he'd still not remember how or why it was ripped. Not a clue. Because he just _can't remember. _Savvy?

Anyhow, glad you're enjoying it anyway. Keep enjoying it, and I'm working on chapter 6 as we, uh, speak.

left-handed snail - You reviewed! (cries tears of joy) Thank you, thank you, thank you....Career in writing? Huh. Maybe.

Thanks again to all my reviewers! I love you guys! And now, you know what to do with that little purple button that I suspect is really starting to annoy you... (evil grin)


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I still don't own them, but let's just say...we evil geniuses are persistent. And resourceful. (evil, _evil_ grin) And as usual, any perceived plotholes are imaginary.

Notes: Thanks to my beta reader, Impulse...she gets extra chocolates this time around! Yay!

**Chapter 6**

Nick looked into the Trace lab as he passed by, and immediately felt uncomfortable and guilty. Alex was there, working hard as always, talking with Grissom and Warrick, her face pale, her usually sunny expression now quiet and sad.

It was like someone else had taken over Alex's body, but Nick didn't feel like making any 'who are you and what have you done with my lab tech' jokes right now.

Alex definitely wouldn't appreciate it.

Somehow, knowing that Alex was unhappy made Nick unhappy too. It was as though he could somehow feel her inner pain and misery. Thankfully it didn't affect his work, or Grissom would have really given it to him.

Only one thing cheered him up that day – Catherine had taken great blackmail pictures of Greg and Chorizo. The unfortunate tarantula had been flushed, but Greg and Warrick had hastened to the nearest exotic pets store to buy a replacement…not to mention a new leash for Chorizo.

If Grissom noticed he had a new tarantula, he said nothing. But Nick noticed he kept a close eye on Alex – rare for Grissom, who usually didn't notice much that was happening around him. When it came to science he was a master, when it came to daily life, he had the hint of the absent-minded professor.

Nick found himself checking on Alex more than once, but getting her alone – Nick wasn't even sure if he wanted to apologize or confront her till he got some answers – was out of the question. Apparently the motherly Catherine had picked up on her upset state, and had decided to give her some moral support, and even instructed the others to do the same.

Well, except Nick. Nick had been working a solo case, and she had probably decided not to bother him.

Nick wondered why seeing Alex like this made him hurt so much inside. It made no sense.

At least not to him.

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Alex wondered how men thought women didn't notice when they were staring at them. Nick had been peeking into the Trace lab so many times now, she counted at least five minutes between each look into the lab.

He didn't look happy. After the way he had acted yesterday, Alex had no idea why. Shouldn't he be telling Grissom there was something funny about the Trace lab tech? Shouldn't there be IA people investigating her?

Alex glanced up as Nick passed by yet again. Why did he look so unhappy?

She cast a glance over at Catherine, who was her current babysitter. Alex appreciated the gesture, but right now, she wanted to find out what was wrong with Nick.

"Uh, Cath?" she asked. "Could you keep an eye on the lab for a while? I need to go to the little lab tech's room for a second."

Cath looked up, and nodded. "Sure."

"Great!" Alex got up, and was halfway out the door before she stuck her head back in and added, "If Grissom stops by, his evidence is already processed and on the table over there."

Cath made an irritated sound of agreement, and continued to read her magazine. Alex grinned, and left.

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Alex no longer felt like smiling by the time she reached Nick in the locker room. Sitting by himself, he looked so miserable that all she wanted to do was go over and hug him. And at the same time, she couldn't forget or forgive the hurtful things he had accused her of just the night before.

She stopped at the door, hesitant, unsure. On one hand, she loved her friend. On the other…

What exactly was on the other? Her pride? Her hurt? Her…love? Love for Nick? Maybe even her fear that she was even admitting to herself that she was in love. With Nick.

Slowly, she advanced towards the CSI, who looked up as she approached. The minute their eyes met, Alex realized what had happened. She flashed back to the day – or night, depending on how you looked at it – she had healed Nick, remembered how she had focused on nothing else other than saving his life…

Oh, no, she thought, realizing what must have happened. It had only happened once before, when she had tried to heal her grandfather before he died…

Somehow, when healing Nick, she had made a mental connection between herself and Nick. Which wasn't really good, since now he was connected to her, he would be able to feel her emotions, and vice-versa. Alex no longer needed to wonder why Nick was so depressed. She knew. Because they were connected, basically – when Alex was hurting, Nick hurt too.

"Oh, Nick," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

He just looked at her, and she couldn't stop herself, the healer instincts she had been born with needing to soothe his pain and confusion. Moving to his side, she hugged him.

To her surprise, he hugged back. They melted together easily, seeming to melt into one person with two souls, and everything else, the lab, their co-workers, even Chorizo and the tarantula, were forgotten. And somewhere along the way, both asked for forgiveness from the other, and was forgiven in return.

They said that fighting sometimes helped strengthen relationships when the fighting pair made up again. Alex had never once thought that it could be true. Now she found that it was, as she felt the bond of friendship that they had always shared become somehow stronger, more lasting.

The locker room door swung open as someone walked in. But it was the loudly asked, "Nick…Alex…what do you think you're doing?" that broke them apart.

They turned…to see the nightshift supervisor standing in front of them with a stern expression on his face.

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Oh, I just _love_ cliffies, don't you?

Right, sorry about the delay in posting, but school's started, and I'm going to be posting less and less frequently I imagine, with only Saturdays to work on the fic. Hey, my beta reader has school too, you know? Unfortunately we underage evil geniuses have to study. It's the first thing I'll rectify when I take over the world. And make no mistake, one day...i will rule this joint!

Ahem. Right. Now my evil mania has faded...

Shout-outs:

esmi26de - No need to be sorry you're a Snicker! No one should have to be ashamed of their ship! Like me, I like any ship as long as it's not GSR. I'm glad you like my story, and I hope you'll keep reading!

DCHeesegirl - Keep Greg in check, would you? LOL, and technically it isn't Greg's monkey. Chorizo belongs to his friend, and let's all hope he takes his monkey home soon...Keep reading and bear with me!

love N/S - Hey, let's not diss the tarantula, okay? I hate tarantulas...why must they be so big and hairy, and scary? Hey, that rhymes! (coughs) Right. Okay, Nick asBatman?Well...Idunno, the mask would hide his handsome face...aren't there any superheroes that leave their faces uncovered?

gelf - Gelf! Gelf! You're here! I love you! And you reviewed! (huggles) And the purple buttons are all part of a scheme to take over the world! (:p) So...now I've got your attention, keep reading, reviewing...and I'll see you at MXPhoenix later! Ciao dear!

Right, I find Iam out of George Eads plushies...off to make some more! But in themeantime, keep the reviews coming! the pretty purple button's waiting for your loving click...

Oh. And if you found this too sappy or mushyor anything, let me know and I'll tone it down in the next chapter...see, the last part wasn't really betaed, I couldn't wait for Impulse.(puts finger to lips) Don't tell anyone! They're not supposed to know that!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I only own Alex and my OCs, the rest belong to Anthony E. Zuiker and Carol Mendolsohn.

Notes: Thanks to Impulse, my beta reader, who was down for a while but is back up and fighting once more!

**Chapter 7**

The look on Grissom's face reminded Alex of the way her father had looked when he had once caught her older brother sneaking into the house after going to a party he had been forbidden to go to.

It wasn't happy.

Alex swallowed, and looked at Nick, who looked right back at her. Then, she turned to Grissom, and offered, "Um…Nick was upset, and I was comforting him?"

Grissom studied them both, the stern expression still there, before he allowed a tiny smile to peek through…then grinned outright.

"Grissom, you bastard," said Nick, but he grinned too.

"Been a long shift, and I needed the comic relief," said Grissom. He nodded to the door. "Back to work, you two. Alex, my samples?"

Alex gaped at him. "I told Cath to give them to you!"

"You did?" Grissom frowned. "I didn't head by the Trace lab." He looked around as though checking that nobody was there besides her and Nick, then winked and added, "Probably just as well…"

"Not funny." Alex mock-glared at him, then took his arm. "If you'll come this way, sir, I'll get you your damn samples."

Grissom graciously allowed her to lead him away. Nick watched them leave, and a smile lit his face as he did. For the first time since shift had started, he felt like his old self again.

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The next night shift started normally, and as usual, Alex staggered in looking like dead meat after another night at Desert Palm.

She felt as tired as she looked, and sighed in relief as she walked through the door and found that Catherine had made her yet another cup of coffee. They had pretty much formed a routine - every night, Cath would prepare her coffee exactly three minutes before she walked in, so that the piping hot cup would be just right for the tired Alex to drink when she stumbled in.

Alex perked up once the coffee was downed, and she looked around at her co-workers. Greg was searching frantically through the cupboards, and she raised a questioning eyebrow at Catherine, who mouthed, "Sara found his Blue Hawaiian stash and hid it somewhere else."

Alex grinned outright at that. Greg spun, glared at her, and intoned darkly, "Laugh at me, would you? Well, fine. But when I do find my precious again, we'll just see who laughs at who!"

"Take it easy, Greg," said Warrick, slapping him on the back in an attempt to soothe the ruffled lab tech.

At least, Alex thought he was trying to comfort Greg. But when her fellow lab tech stalked out of the break room, she saw a "Kick me" sign taped to Greg's back.

"Bad, Warrick," she said, trying to keep from smiling. "Very bad."

Warrick looked innocently at her. "What?"

Alex just shook her head, then glancing around, she frowned. "Where's Nick?"

"He's not in yet," responded Sara. She shrugged. "He'll turn up later, I guess."

Alex nodded doubtfully. It wasn't that Nick was never late, it was that if he were going to be late, he would at least call and let you know first.

An uneasy feeling began nagging at her. Was Nick all right?

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"What do you mean, Nick's in the hospital?" demanded Alex, gaping at Warrick, who had just delivered the news.

"He had a minor car accident," said Warrick, eyeing her warily. Alex was in full protective mode, and was pretty intimidating tight then.

"How minor? What happened?" she asked, shooting the questions at him like bullets from a gun.

"He was heading in to work, and he started to feel sleepy, and he crashed his car into six trash cans. One hit his windshield and gave him a cut over his eye, and the people who came to help him insisted on taking him to the hospital. And Nick, being Nick, is now insisting that he's able to work, but I'm telling you, there's no way Griss will let Nick do anything other than sit in the lab today."

Alex sat down suddenly, relief flooding through her. Nick was okay. And yet…

Guilt, deep and unwelcome, came to her mind as she realized it must have been the connection she now shared with Nick that had made him feel sleepy.

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Nick was back at the lab the next night, a bandage over his eye and a rather grouchy temperament that made everyone except his teammates stay well out of his way.

He was probably just embarrassed that the nurse had given him a rocket-print bandage since the hospital was out of regular band-aids.

But even though Alex made an effort to stay away from Nick over the next few days, to her dismay, the connection between them kept growing stronger. It caused a lot of trouble, and Alex had no idea what to do about it.

Well, except tell herself very firmly that she would never ever heal someone close to her again.

Once But even though Alex made an effort to stay away from Nick over the next few days, to her dismay, the connection between them kept growing stronger. It caused a lot of trouble, and Alex had no idea what to do about it.

Well, except tell herself very firmly that she would never ever heal someone close to her again.

But even though Alex made an effort to stay away from Nick over the next few days, to her dismay, the connection between them kept growing stronger. It caused a lot of trouble, and Alex had no idea what to do about it.

Well, except tell herself very firmly that she would never ever heal someone close to her again.

Nick was refilling his coffee cup in the break room one day, and he'd accidentally spilt some of the steaming hot coffee from the pot on his hand. He yelped, waving the affected hand around frantically before sticking it under the tap to soothe the burning sensation.

Alex, meanwhile, had been in the Trace lab, handling a knife Warrick had found at the crime scene he was working. The very instant the hot liquid had hit Nick's hand, she had felt it too, and had dropped the knife, which flew into the air, and came back down to land on the floor, narrowly missing Alex's left toe.

"Ouch," she muttered, checking her hand and wondering what the hell had bitten her.

It wasn't until Sara was laughingly recounting what had happened with Nick to her later that she realized what had happened. It didn't make her very happy, but figured she should be grateful she hadn't lost her toe, and that Nick hadn't lost his life a few days before.

But as more and more little incidents began happening, Alex began to feel afraid. Not for herself, but more for Nick. What if something really serious happened one day? She had to learn how to block her emotions and feelings from Nick somehow.

She hadn't talked to her big brother in years, Alex mused as she picked up the phone in her apartment. But maybe now was a good time to reconnect with her brother…and ask him for advice.

Terry had played a big part in helping her control her powers as she grew up, though her parents had helped too, but Terry had been the one she had counted on the most. He had been her best friend, her rock, her comforter and protector. He had been her teacher, her partner in crime, and most of all, he had been her brother. Alex and Terry were the two oldest children in the family, which was why they were close.

Alex did wonder though, why she alone had been blessed with her gifts – her curses – and not any of her brothers. Maybe it had something to do with her being the only girl in the family?

Just then, the phone was picked up on the other end, cutting off her train of thought.

"Hello?" a grumpy voice asked. Darn. Alex had forgotten her brother worked days.

Clearing her throat, Alex replied, "Hey, Terry, it's me. Listen, I need to ask you for a favor…"

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Yay! Another chapter done! Can you believe I was working on two fics at one go? And I only finished this chapter...oh well.

Shout-outs:

DCHeesegirl - I love that you're always the first to review! Either you or love N/S will...thank you! Take care of Greg...hope you liked this chappie...

love N/S - (innocent look) Issue? What issue? George in a tux, huh? I don't need to see him as Bruce Wayne, there are plenty on the internet of him in tuxedos. He's cute in suits, but I like him in casual wear. Hey, there were even a few eps of CSI where he was wearing a tux! Hope you enjoyed the chappie by the way.

sar - Glad you liked it, here's the next installment.

gelf - My lips are sealed if yours are. Hope you like this chapter!

Okay people, its time once again for: "Adventures of the pretty purple button!" Today's episode is about how my wonderful, fearless readers will press the purple button, and type something into the box that comes up! Wow! Excitement, or what? (grins)

Seriously folks, please review. I have lots of George eads plushies to send out now...


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't sue.

Notes: Don't blame Impulse for any mistakes in here...she hasn't read it yet.I was in a hurry, and she'll scold me enough for that later, so just...remember that any plotholes and inaccuracies are merely figments of your imagination. Anyway, this is only a sort of summariser that adds to the story. Do i make sense?

More notes: Impulse, I said, scold me later!

**Chapter 8**

Terry Shan wasn't exactly thrilled. His sister – sure, she was his only sister, and he loved her to pieces, but it didn't mean she couldn't be a pain in the rear at the worst of times – had just called him at an unearthly hour of the morning, and he was just about ready to snap.

Then she had said she needed his help.

"What do you want?" Terry asked, trying not to snap, and biting back a yawn as he did so.

He heard Alex laugh at her end of the line, and knew he hadn't succeeded in either.

"Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you this early. How about I meet you for dinner tomorrow?" she suggested.

Terry didn't bother to hide the yawn, this time. "Sure," he said. "Rosa's?" Alex had introduced the place to him before and he liked the cooking. Rosa herself wasn't that bad…

Alex laughed again, and he wished he could reach down the phone and strangle her. That sound was going to haunt him tonight.

"Sure, big brother," she replied. "I'll see you there, same time, same place."

Terry yawned again. "Uh-huh. This just better be worth waking me up at this ungodly hour or you won't be getting a Christmas present for the next ten years."

His way of saying that he already had Alex's present picked out. Which she knew.

"Not another silk scarf this year, okay?" she whined.

"That wasn't my fault, Mom thought it would look nice on you. I hadn't the heart to tell her my dog's enjoying it now."

"Uh-huh. Goodnight, Terry."

"Night, little sister," he said then slammed the phone down at her indignant squawk and smirked to himself.

She hated when he called her that.

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Alex entered Rosa's comfy little dining area and headed for the table that Rosa claimed was always reserved for her and her brothers. Terry was there, a tall figure of around 6'1", with the same brown hair and eyes as Alex, though his were slightly irritated. He was dressed casually enough, Terry worked at the Montecito casino as the head of surveillance and security, and his boss gave him a lot of leeway.

Alex wished she could say the same.

"Sit," ordered Terry, patting the chair next to his. "Let's talk."

Getting right down to business, were we?

Alex sat. Terry ordered her a cup of coffee, and stared her in the eye. "So, little sister," he began, "What's the problem?"

Alex looked up, annoyed, but responded, "It's about my…gifts."

Terry raised an eyebrow, then said, "What about them? Are you having migraines again? Damn it, Alex, I said if they got worse, to tell me, or your doctor -"

"It's not the migraines," interrupted Alex. She sighed, then proceeded to tell her brother, "Look, the long and short of it is, I foresaw one of my colleagues being shot, and I decided to interfere because I couldn't let him die. He got shot anyway, and I healed him. And then- "

"You were exposed?" growled Terry in horror.

"No!" Alex exclaimed, frustrated. "Would you please let me finish?"

Terry muttered, but stayed silent as she went on, "He was unconscious while I healed him, and so he doesn't remember what I did, but Terry – I accidentally formed a mental connection to him, and now- "

Terry's eyes lit with understanding. "You want to find a way to block him from feeling your emotions all the time? And vice-versa?"

Alex nodded, glad that they were finally on the same page. "Yeah. Can you help?"

Terry looked thoughtful. Their coffee cups lay forgotten on the table as he thought it over. Finally, he said, "Mental blocking takes mostly a lot of focus, so I'd recommend you practice some focusing techniques. I can teach you some, but you'll have to practice them yourself…"

Alex reached forward and squeezed her brother's hand. "Thank you, Terry," she said gratefully. "I knew you'd think of something."

Terry nodded. "You'll need to find some discreet way of getting your colleague to learn these techniques too, you know."

"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it," replied Alex, uncomfortable. "I'll figure something out."

"Great," her brother said, finishing his coffee. "I'll see you tomorrow night for your lessons, then."

Alex nodded. "I'll be there," she promised. "Thanks again."

Terry nodded, then glanced at his watch. "Oops, gotta head home. I promised to read Derek his bedtime story tonight."

Alex laughed, thinking of her little nephew. Terry had been a single dad ever since Derek's mother had left them, but they coped just fine. "Give him a hug for me.'

"Will do." Terry saluted her, then left, Alex following him as she headed for the door.

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Nick Stokes slowly turned around in his seat once he was sure that Alex and her friend had left Rosa's. He frowned.

He'd come to Rosa's for dinner before shift began, and now he was leaving Rosa's with a full stomach…and more questions for a certain lab tech he was starting to have a dangerous attraction to.

Nick got up, and headed purposefully for his Tahoe. Alex had some answering to do.

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Thanks to all who reviewed! now for some quick shout-outs!

love N/S - Alex only connected with Nick because she only healed Nick. And I love George Eads in his CSI ball cap! ooh! Adorable!

DCHeesegirl - that would be funny, LOL. Wish I'd thought of it. And I see you found that picture too? I love that pic, if I had more time, I'd throw it into the fic. Hotness. (drools) Glad you liked the chappie, now review, no matter how crappy this one is in comparison. ;) Thanks dear!

gelf - Google or Yahoo search for George Eads, or find him on IMDB. George is cool. ;) And you would like the connection. I do too. ;)

wiccanhot - Great! So you can keep reading. :) Have fun, and don't forget to review!

Okay, you all know what to do. Press the button while I think up a gimmick to make you press the button.;)


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't rub it in. As usual any perceived plotholes and inaccuracies are purely imaginary.**  
**

**Chapter 9**

The women's locker room at CSI was empty, and Alex sighed in relief as she started to take her jacket off, revealing her sleeveless red top. Reaching into her locker, she hummed, smiling at the photograph of her young nephew which she had pasted to the door. He was the only grandson her parents had, and the only nephew in the family.

It meant he was lonely a lot, and spoilt rotten by everyone.

Alex could identify with him, though. She was the only girl in her family, and she had five brothers – Terry, Jim, Trevor, TJ and Max. She had known what it was like to be on her own. Because they had this much in common, it was no wonder Derek adored his Aunt Alex.

Alex reached in for the black T-shirt she planned to wear in the lab, hoping her lab coat would cover the words on it. It read, "What are my weaknesses?" in bold white letters on the front, and "None of your damn business" on the back, and was a gift from her father. Casting a quick glance around, she took her top off and started to pull the T-shirt on…

Alex found herself slammed back-first into the row of lockers, and she yelped instinctively, arms crossing over her chest.

"What the- " Her face reddened even further when she realized it was Nick who had entered the room. "Nick!"

Nick looked surprised, then embarrassed, and he turned around so quickly that Alex thought he'd spin right around like a top.

"Uh," he said, gesturing nervously, "Can you put your shirt on fast? I need to talk to you…"

"You could have knocked," snapped Alex. She yanked her shirt over her head and tapped Nick's shoulder to tell him she was decent now.

Nick turned, his face the same colour as a tomato.

"Sorry," he muttered. He started to say something else, but a knock interrupted him.

"Alex?" Grissom peered into the locker room. "I need you in Trace. You about ready to start work?"

Alex looked at Nick, who said, "Um, you go ahead. I'll meet you later at Rosa's."

Alex nodded, then turned and headed out. Grissom frowned at Nick. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Nick said, trying to remain composed and not start blushing again.

"You're in the women's locker room," Grissom pointed out. "You should be at your crime scene."

Nick took the assignment slip his boss was holding out and left without a word. Grissom shook his head as he watched his CSI leave.

He sighed to himself. His thoughts turning to the letter from the PI he had hired some months back. Before Alex had even come to work at the lab.

Years ago, Gil had made one of the worst mistakes a man could make – he'd gotten involved with a married woman. They had ended the affair, and Gil had thought that was the end of it…until the woman had told him she had given birth to his daughter. A paternity test had proved that her child wasn't of her husband's parentage. Her daughter had no idea, and both she and her husband loved her to pieces anyway.

Gil had waited a long time, battling with his mind and heart before hiring a PI, to find out who his former lover's husband was, and who his daughter was. The PI had come up with his daughter's name.

_Her name was Alexis Shan._

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Gee, can you tell I like springing twists on people? I _am _mean.

What can I say, I'm an evil genius in traning. >:)

Shout-outs go to:

DCHeesegirl - LOL, you don't need to allow you to post pics. There is a way. See my Anthology:Shal/Jesse Revelations story, in the fourth chapter I posted a pic. That's how you can post them.

And I got the idea for that part when I was watching this show...what was the title again...? Anyway, that's where I got it from - TV.

love N/S - Never seen that pic, but I think no matter what pic he's in, George still looks gorgeous...(drool) AS to the techniques...let's just wait and see...

gelf - You and me both, gelf. (sigh) Just keep reading. (huggles)

Thank you all for reading and reviewing... (sniff) I feel so touched...

I still don't have a gimmick this week. Really. No gimmick.

But it doesn't mean you don't need to read and review!!!

So...read. Review. And, uh, relax while I write the next chapter. ;)


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Still don't own them. Man, who knew a good evil plan was so hard to think up? **  
**

**Chapter 10**

Alex stumbled in to Rosa's, wincing as her migraine reminded her to take her medication. She'd been getting them more and more recently, even without using her powers. It hurt, often distracted her at work…but she coped. For now. But if they kept coming, she knew soon she'd not just have to talk with her brother, but also…her father.

Alex's father was a well-known Biogeneticist who had dropped off the face off the earth for a while after graduating from university at age 12, but now he was back, and he made his living giving guest lectures at forensic conventions about genetics.

It was his knowledge about genetics that had kept Alex alive until now, and that helped him teach her how to control her abilities.

Alex looked up as she spotted Nick sitting at a table, and headed straight for him. He wasn't smiling, and he had his head in his hands as though…

"Nick?" she asked hesitantly, as he waved for her to sit down. "Is something wrong?"

He's got a headache too, she realized, and hoped hers would wear off soon so he wouldn't hurt too much.

Nick looked up, and Alex felt frightened. She had never seen this type of anger in Nick's eyes before. There was some embarrassment, presumably left over from start of shift, but the anger far preceded it.

"Nick?" she whispered. What'd I do? she wondered.

Nick looked at her again, then, he leaned forward, and asked roughly, "What are you?"

What? Alex's mind felt like exploding. "What do you mean?" she stammered. "You know who I am."

Nick shook his head. "No, I know who you _say_ you are. You say you're Alexis Shan, daughter of the famous Adam Kane. You say you're a typical UNLV graduate, aged 26, who was offered a position here at the lab. You told me, you told us all you were nobody special, just a normal Trace Lab technician. But," he leaned in even closer, "Do you know how much someone can overhear when they're sitting in a booth directly behind you in this restaurant?"

Alex felt a cold chill run through her bones. Everywhere she went, she had to endure discovery sooner or later, but she had been hoping…

A soft tear ran down her cheek as she realized this was it. She had been found out. By Nick. The man she loved.

Suddenly, it was too much. It was all too much, and Alex's hands flew up to her head as it seemed to almost literally implode…

The blackness that came was welcome. Alex somehow knew, that at least within the darkness, she would be safe.

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When Alex suddenly grabbed at her head and let out a cry of pain, Nick jumped, startled. He hadn't been expecting that.

"Alex?"

Even as the word left his mouth, she fell forward, head hitting the table with an audible thump, before falling to the floor.

"Alex!" Nick was alarmed, there was blood on the edge of the table and Alex wasn't moving…

He moved to her side, checking desperately for a pulse, something deep inside him desperately needing to know she was alive.

Then he felt it, the weak throbbing that said she was alive, just unconscious.

Nick ripped a part of his shirt off, using it to apply pressure to the wound on her head. By now, people were starting to gather around, but all Nick could hear was a jumble of voices shouting questions and advice at him.

"What's wrong with her? Is it epilepsy? Or narcolepsy? Or some sort of epsy?"

"Somebody call an ambulance!"

"There a doctor in the house? Anyone know first aid?"

"Give her some vodka or something!"

"What's going on?"

It was the last voice that got Nick's attention, he looked up, recognizing the handsome young man he had seen Alex with just before shift. Alex had called him her big brother, his mind remembered.

Terry. Alex had called him Terry.

Nick looked up at him, saying urgently, "We've got to get her to the hospital, man, she just collapsed…I don't know what happened, but- "

Terry cut him off. "No, no hospitals." His face was grim and worried. "No doctor will know how to treat her, believe me. I know someone who can help."

Nick was so worried about Alex by this time that he was ready to do anything. Gently, he lifted Alex into his arms. She seemed so fragile, like she would break if he held her wrong. Suddenly, it no longer mattered to Nick that she was hiding her secrets from him. It wasn't important, everyone had secrets. What _was_ important, was to make sure she wasn't hurt too badly. Looking up at Terry, he said quietly, "Lead the way."

Terry nodded, and headed for the entrance. "Let's use my car."

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Terry had brought them to his family home? Nick stared, awestruck at the size of the house that was practically a mansion. His own home hadn't been this huge.

Of course, Alex's family was loaded. Her mother ran a successful line of casinos and hotels here in Vegas, including the one that Terry worked in. Her father was very good at his job too, which got him almost as much money as his wife brought in.

Nick's thoughts turned to his own home, remembering that even though they might not have had all the material comforts life had to offer, he and his six siblings had known they were loved.

Now, as he watched Terry carefully lift his sister and carry her towards the house, apparently expecting him to follow, he somehow sensed the same kind of bond he had always shared with his family. Mostly with his mother, but still.

The front door swung open, and Nick glimpsed a tall, handsome man with curly dark hair, and worried features. He recognized him instantly, the man was world-famous, and felt awe rising in his mind unexpectedly.

Dr Adam Kane himself. Alex's father.

Adam took his daughter from his son, and disappeared into the house. Nick moved up to the door, standing uncertainly there, not sure if he was allowed inside.

Terry paused halfway upstairs, turning to Nick with a twinkle in his eyes. "You waiting for something? Come on. Alex'll be just fine now. I may as well show you around the place while my dad checks her over."

Hardly able to believe it, Nick nodded and stepped in.

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Okay, two chapters for the price of one review! Yay!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Mwahahahahaha! I finally have my master plan to steal the rights...but for now, I'll just continue to say: No, I don't own them. (deceptively innocent look)

**Chapter 11**

Nick was treated to the grand tour, but he could barely focus on anything other than Alex. For politeness' sake, he made an effort, but not much stayed in his mind.

Terry finally stopped, giving him a strange look as he led Nick downstairs to the living room.

"Sit," he offered. It sounded more like an order, though, so Nick sat.

"Hey guys," a young blonde came cheerfully into the room, a tray in her hands. "Want some lemonade?"

Nick thanked her as she handed him a glass. Terry downed one in a single gulp, leaving Nick wondering vaguely if it was a family trait since Alex did the same thing with her piping hot coffee.

"Thanks, Brianna," Terry said, eyeing the third glass on the tray greedily. Brianna shook her head, laughing.

"Pig," she accused fondly. "You and my husband are just the same."

"She married my brother Jim," Terry explained for Nick's benefit. "Jim's about the same age as Alex, with ten months difference between them."

"Terry likes to say it was because our parents didn't watch enough TV," offered another voice as a dark-haired young man entered. From the way he hugged Brianna, Nick deduced this was Jim.

Another hour went by, and Nick met Thomas James, or TJ, and Trevor and Max, along with Mrs Kane herself. He noted right away that Alex took after her mother, with the pretty Chinese features. Of course, the Chinese heritage was softer in Alex, but it was there.

Nick found himself tuning everyone out as they surrounded him with friendly conversation, blocking out everything but Alex…

He closed his eyes. Inside, he knew he was ready. It was time to come to terms with how he felt…about Alex.

Alex had wormed her way into his life an heart since she had first come to work at the lab about a year ago. The Texan had formed a close friendship with the young woman, and they had shared a year's worth of experiences together. She had…filled him, Nick realized, filled his life and heart with her smile and laugh, and her very presence…it made his heart sing.

Nick knew right then and there that he loved Alex. That she was "it" for him. And no matter what she wasn't telling him, he was ready to start a life with her, till death do them part and all…maybe even build a new family with her.

"Nick?" Terry's voice cut into his consciousness, and he looked up to see Dr Kane smiling at him. "This is my dad, the last of the Kane-Shan clan."

Nick automatically got up to shake the offered hand. "Hello, sir," he greeted, feeling nervous.

"It's Adam," the man laughed. "Dr Kane makes me sound…smart."

Nick raised an eyebrow, but nodded. Adam grinned at him. "Alex is fine. Do you want to see her?"

Did he want to see her? Did night follow day? Did cows give milk? Could Spiderman kick Batman's ass?

Okay, so forget that. "Yes, please," Nick said, feeling like a little kid who'd been asked if he wanted a cookie.

Adam led him to the eastern wing of the house, to a sunny little room where the early morning sunlight was just filtering in through the windows. Nick looked in to see Alex sleeping peacefully in her bed.

Turning to Adam, he realized he had some questions. "Uh," he began.

Adam cut him off gently, steering him towards a chair beside the bed. "All your questions will be answered," he assured Nick, eyes serious as they looked into the CSI's.

Nick nodded, unable to speak. Adam smiled again, as though he knew a secret Nick didn't.

After Adam left, it didn't take very long before Nick found himself lying down next to Alex in her bed. Gently, he slidhis arms around her, holding her close, and planted a soft kiss to her forehead.

Alex was okay, he was tired, and now…

Sleep claimed the exhausted young man, and Terry smiled to himself as he peeked in, before closing the door on them quietly.

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Phew, another chappie done. I'm working hard on the next one, it has an important part to play in my evil plan...uh, forget I said that. You aren't supposed to know.

(changes subject)

Shout-outs!

SpectralLady - You can stop waiting now...or can you? The fic ain't over yet! >:) Glad you like my fic, so...keep reading and reviewing! I like your reviews! I'm a review addict, I live for reviews!

DCHeesegirl who is too lazy to sign in - :p So long as you review, I don't really care if you sign in or not. And I thought you knew how Alex felt, didn't I say she loved him a few chapters back? Anyhow, keep reading!

love N/S - Thanks for trying to give me the link. Try typing the link with spaces in between, like: http :www . link . com. If not, my e-mail is in my profile. ;) Just e-mail me with the words fanfiction . net inthe subject.

Thanks to all my reviewers...and DCheesegirl and love N/S get special chocolate covered Nick plushies for sticking with me and reviewing faithfully all this while! Yay!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Don't own CSI, don't own the part I borrowed from K.A Applegate's Animorphs series.

Notes: Unbetaed. Since school's keeping me and Impulse apart, and I'm an impatient person...but as usual, any and all perceived plotholes or inaccuracies are purely imaginary, though you could mention them should you feel the need to be laughed at. (evil grin)

**Chapter 12**

Nick woke first the next morning, pleasantly surprised when he found Alex snuggled up to him, sleeping soundly on his chest, her face buried in his shirt. He smiled, running a hand through her soft hair, pausing to tenderly touch the small bandage she sported on her head, almost matching the one he had over his eye.

Unfortunately, the action jostled Alex out of her slumber, and Nick was treated to the rather endearing sight of her yawning and stretching. Something he'd really, really like to get used to, he decided.

Alex blearily focused her gaze on him, just before she bolted upright, yelping, "What the fu-dge? Nick?"

Nick grinned. "Hope you weren't expecting someone else," he teased, watching as she stared at him, horrified.

"We didn't…do anything, did we?" she asked, biting her lip in consternation.

Chuckling, Nick took pity on her and explained, "Nope, just slept together, that's all."

He probably shouldn't have termed it that way, he mused as her eyes widened even more. He proceeded to explain fully all that had happened, but it was a while before Alex calmed down.

"You could have said so," she said, whacking him lightly on the shoulder. Nick accepted it, knowing he probably deserved that.

For a while, both just sat together in a comfortable silence, before Alex looked up and asked, "Have you had breakfast?"

"Nope." Nick shook his head. "Haven't bathed or changed, either."

Alex held out her hand. "Come on," she said, smiling shyly. "My mom's a great cook, and I bet my brother can lend you some clothes."

Nick took it, studying the slender fingers carefully before kissing her hand. Alex smiled at him when he looked up at her to see how she reacted to that. That was all it took, really. From that moment, both of them knew that their relationship was far more than 'just friends', and would probably – hopefully? – never be the same again.

"I love you," was all he could say. Alex looked at him, then slowly, slowly, they leaned towards each other…

And pulled apart again as someone banged on the door, yelling, "Alex! Get up, already, mom won't let us start without you guys and I'm starving!"

Together, they laughed. "I guess you've met my brother Trevor," grinned Alex, sliding out of the bed. "Now you know how cranky he gets in the mornings when he isn't fed on time."

Nick laughed. Taking Alex by the hand, he followed her downstairs to the dining room.

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Breakfast with the Kane-Shan family was a babble of noise and activity. Jim started a food fight with TJ, while 17-year-old Max ate with one hand and frantically tried to finish his long overdue homework with the other.

Jim brushed maple syrup off his face, and peered over at his little brother's work. "English report?" he asked, grinning.

Max grunted an affirmative. Jim laughed.

"You're so good for me, Max. Compared to you, I'm so responsible. So. You have a topic?"

Max looked up, indignant. "I've already written three pages! What do you mean, do I have a topic?"

Alex shook her head, smiling. They all knew Max.

"Well? Do you have a topic?" asked Jim.

Max sighed, giving in. "A topic will…emerge," he said, gesturing vaguely. " It will rise from these pages. It will reveal itself to me. I just need to keep writing."

"You should write on the use of total bull in the writing of English essays," said TJ, chuckling.

Max grinned. "I am the master of bull. Three pages so far and I haven't actually said a thing."

Alex took pity on her youngest brother and leaned forward. "Try – the use of rhetoric to obscure a lack of content."

Max froze. He looked up. "That's brilliant! It means the same thing as 'the use of total bull…' only it sounds so much better!" He leaned over and hugged his sister. "Thank you!"

Alex looked up as her father got up. "Let's go," he said, nodding to her.

"Go where?" Alex asked, confused.

"To check you out," replied Adam. "You took quite a hit yesterday."

"I'm fine," insisted Alex.

"Well, even if you are…" Adam firmly took her by the arm to lead her away. At the door, he stopped, then turned to Nick. "You can come too," he offered. "You had some questions if I remember."

Nick nodded. He half wondered if he wanted to know the answers to the questions he had. But Adam was waiting, so he got up and headed over, following them to the western wing of the house.

Adam entered one of the many rooms, Nick suspected Terry had told him what was in this one, but he hadn't been paying attention.

Alex laughed when he paused. "This is my father's lab," she said, smiling up at him. "He does his research and experiments here. I think you'll find the equipment and technology he has in there are far more advanced than those at our lab."

"Is that why you barely needed any teaching on the usage of our evidence processing equipment?" asked Nick.

Alex nodded. "I've helped my dad in his lab since I learnt how to walk." Taking his hand, she said gently, "I know you're afraid of what you may learn. I'm not sure myself that telling you will be the right thing to do. But my dad trusts you, and so do I. So come on. Let's get this over with together."

Nick couldn't have resisted those brown eyes if he tried. He swallowed, steeling himself, before squeezing Alex's hand and following her in.

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My evil plan to steal the rights didn't work! (sobs pitifully) But never fear! i will return! With an even greater evil plan! Mwa-hahahahahahaha!

Shout-outs(I never get tired of doing these:)) :

Kat Hawkins - Yes, Adam is the Adam Kane from Mutant X. In this fic, I explored what Adam might have done after he disappeared at Naxcon, since I really didn't like the way they made my Adam into a hologram! How dare they??? Adam deserves better, he's been with Mutant X since the start! Darn Mohan! >:( As for Grissom telling Alex he's her father...well. Why should he? She never asked, so it's up to him if he wants to or not. If he wants to, he'll let me know, and I'll toss it into my fic. ;)

SpectralLady - You can't make me update with those puppy eyes. I'm a wolf puppy myself, puppy dog eyes are my business. However, should you want a few pointers, I will happily give you tips on how to charm people with said puppy dog eyes. ;) And here's another tip - I will do a lot of things for doggie treats and/or George Eads in chocolate sauce.

love N/S- Thanks for the links...he's gorgeous, isn't he? Keep reading and reviewing! I always look forward to your reviews! ;)

gelf - FM heard it. Too late. And I didn't know you wanted a chocolate Eads...waitaminute. What's a chocolate Eads bunny? Hey! I don't think those exist...gelf! 

Rob - I dunno about ruining it, but I have great hopes for s5. Still, if they put too much GSR in there...(sigh) I just hope they don't ruin the show, like Mutant X was ruined by Peter Mohan...

Okay people. (holds up chocolate covered George Eads plushie) These go to the first five people to review, and chocolate covered Eric Szmanda and Gary Dourdan plushies are for the next ten! So...review! :) Even if you thought this chapter was the most boring one ever and you want to shoot me for it, well...let me know, okay? I like at least 24 hours warning before someone takes a shot at me, thank you very much.

Kudos, next chapter coming soon - i hope.

RK9.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own them. Yet. But evil genius school has started, so...just you wait, Anthony Zuiker! **  
**

**Chapter 13**

Adam's lab was impressive, to say the least. Alex hadn't been kidding, most of the technology seemed several years ahead of what the lab had, maybe even more advanced than the President's computer at the White House.

Not literally, but, close enough.

Adjusting the controls of the med chair, Adam looked at Nick. "Nick, you might want to step behind the curtain for a while," he said, grinning. "Alex is going to strip down to her underwear, and while you might be involved with her, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with you drooling over my daughter in front of me."

Nick flushed, and stepped back as Alex drew the curtain, grinning. "Daddy," he heard her say, laughing, "Don't scare him away like you did every other guy who ever got interested in me, okay?"

"I didn't scare them away, hon," Adam said, "I gave them a test, and none of them passed."

Nick smiled. It sounded a little like how his parents were with his five sisters. Three of them were married now, with kids, and he was sorta glad they had given each of their suitors that "test".

He heard a soft whirring noise, and twiddled his thumbs while he waited. Then, the noise stopped, and he heard Alex getting dressed…again, he flushed, remembering when he had stumbled upon her in the locker room…

The older scientist was the first to join him. He motioned to a seat nearby, and Nick took the hint and sat down. Alex appeared just then, fully dressed, and she nodded to her father. It was as though they could communicate without words…Adam nodded back, and got up to leave the room.

Nick knew it was time for the confrontation they had been trying to avoid. Then again, some things were inevitable.

Alex sat down, taking his hand. "How about I start at the beginning?" she asked.

"That would be good, yeah," Nick agreed.

She swallowed, took a deep breath, released it, and began.

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"_Kitty?" Adam asked as he entered the room he shared with his wife. "How are you feeling?"  
_

_His wife had just given birth to their daughter two months ago. Though she insisted she was fine now, Adam still worried about her, since she said she was having some stomach pains recently._

_Now the ex-biogeneticist perched uncertainly on the edge of the bed, looking over at Kitty, who was cradling their baby in her arms._

"_Hey," greeted Kitty. She glanced lovingly over in his direction. "You have a cut," she noted, worried._

_Adam's fingers found the small wound on his chin, from an accident in the lab, and smiled. "It's nothing to worry about."_

_Kitty offered the squirming baby to him. "She's been fussy all day," she said, quietly. "I don't know why."_

_Adam took his daughter from his wife. "I'll see what I can do," he promised. Looking down at Alexis, he asked softly, "Well? You'd better start talking, missy. Why have you been fussing over the slightest little thing all day?"_

_The baby had quieted the moment Adam held her in his arms, and now she reached up with a tiny hand. The proud father gripped one, while the other…_

_The other reached for the cut on Adam's chin. The instant it connected, he felt a slight tingling sensation, and Alex mewled happily. _

_Eyes wide, Kitty gasped, "Adam…"_

_Adam reached to feel, and was startled. The injured skin had been sealed together, and it felt…_

"_She.." Helplessly, he looked at Kitty. They both knew what this meant. _

_Their daughter was a new mutant._

_Adam had created new mutants a long time ago by accident. He and a team of scientists had been the pioneers of genetic engineering, using genetic manipulation to save human lives. The procedures had produced men and women with extraordinary powers – who had been dubbed new mutants. _

_And now it seemed Alex was one of them._

_As time went by, Alex proved to have more than just healing abilities. She foresaw the answers to a history test at school, and purposely failed the test to avoid being accused of cheating. _

_Adam and Kitty helped their daughter learn the ins and outs of controlling her powers. Adam, with his expertise in genetics, helped more often, forming a bond between father and daughter that drew them closer together._

_And now, Alex was working as a CSI in the LVCL, while volunteering at Desert Palm. _

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Alex finished her explanation, looking at Nick as she did so. He looked slightly skeptical.

"You're telling me you can heal people?" he asked quietly. "And see into the future? And that you have some sort of…mental telepathic connection to me? Sorry, but I find that all just a little hard to believe."

"I know," Alex assured him. Her brown eyes were serious as she asked, "Do you want me to show you what I can do?"

Before Nick could reply, she took a knife out of a chest of drawers in the lab, then went back to him. "I can't heal myself," she explained, then asked, "Do you trust me, Nick?"

Did he trust her? In answer, Nick held out his hand. She took it, and made a careful cut with the knife. Blood began flowing immediately, but before Nick had time to panic, Alex placed a finger on the wound. She closed her eyes. Nick's widened as he saw her fingers glow, and the skin she had cut seemed to repair itself under her touch. Within seconds, the wound was gone.

But Alex wasn't. She stood there, blinking, looking slightly tired. She looked at Nick, eyes questioning, as he examined the area she had healed thoroughly.

When he finally raised his eyes to hers once more, Alex was afraid she had overdone it. He looked…unable to believe this was happening to him, and she felt like he would bolt if she moved.

She reached out, he flinched, his fingers caressing the newly healed skin, as he looked up at her and said, "It's…itchy."

She nodded. "Yeah, that's one of the few side-effects. It'll wear off. I do have some lotion you could apply if you wanted…" She stopped, realizing she was babbling.

Nick's eyes were filled with wonder as he looked at her again. "You've always been able to do this?"

"It's why I volunteer at Desert Palm," she explained. Shrugging, she said, "My dad says I have healer instincts… But it hasn't always been easy. Wherever I went, if I was discovered, then I'd have to leave. My three years in Vegas are the longest I've ever lived in any place." Sighing, she concluded, "My life really hasn't always been easy."

Nick rose, and to her surprise, gathered her in a hug. She hugged back instinctively, as he nuzzled her neck gently, murmuring, "Well, maybe I can help make it easier?"

Alex gave a gasp as she realized what he was offering. Turning to him, she gave him a rather trembly smile and didn't protest when he leaned down…

"You two done in there?" Adam walked in, and they both broke apart automatically.

The ex-biogeneticist raised an eyebrow, said, "I guess not? Carry on, then," and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Nick laughed, turning Alex around to face him. "You think I'll be able to kiss you properly this time without one of your family interrupting?"

Alex grinned up at him. "Try it and see."

He bent his head over hers, kissing her, and this time, the sun sang in the sky and everything around them seemed to rejoice.

Grinning at her when they finally pulled apart for air, Nick whispered, "Wanna see how many times we can do that before they come up to see what we're doing?"

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Okay, no cliffie this time...(big shocked eyes)

But lots of shout-outs! Yay!

Kat Hawkins - The rest of the team showed up all right...right now, though, it's just Nick, Alex, and her family....they'll be back, though. After all, Grissom has yet to tell...oops. Forget I said that. I'm not really into letting the cat out of the bag too early!

SpectralLady - No chocolate covered George Eads? (growls) Darn. Okay, I'll settle for the doggie treats.

love N/S - I am so disappointed with him! What on earth made George get a buzz cut? (sniffles) I want the old Nick back! Where did Jorja say that? Is there a link? Link me, link me! Oh please!

gelf - Okay, okay, a chocolate bunny with the face of George Eads...(grumbles) Are you gelflings all this pushy? So. How are the kids settling in? Imjuzakyd causing any trouble? I'll whack her if she does...just say the word. Right. Have fun, and kudos!

DCHeesegirl - Slept, yes, but the question is...did they do anything while sleeping together? (evil grin) I'm not saying, I don't even know for sure. And that total bull thingy was from the tenth Animorphs book. Great scene, I modified it a little. Gosh, I hope I don't get sued. (big eyes) Uh-oh.

Okay, keep reading guys! The end is near...or is it? What will happen next? Will Grissom reveal his secret to Alex? How will she react if he does? Why does RK9 sound like the guy who says "Next week, on Gifts and Curses...."? Has she been eating too much sugar? Why is she asking so many questions?

(RK9 gets dragged off by people in white suits...) See you guys at the next installment! >:) No asylum can hold this writer for long!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I own CSI. Really. Oh, look, a flying pig!

**Chapter 14**

Usually Alex hated Mondays. They depressed her, the start of a whole new week of work to come.

Today however, was a whole different thing.

She and Nick had spent the weekend together, talking and discussing her powers - Nick asking questions to his heart's content, while Alex did her best to answer. Even she didn't know everything about her powers, though at first Nick believed she did. They had grown closer as they talked, and Alex had even managed to convince Nick to learn some focusing techniques with her.

All in all, Alex felt distinctly cheerful at being able to come into work with a whole new attitude towards life, and a new boyfriend to top it off.

"You look happy," noted Greg when she entered the break room.

The young healer smiled and nodded, fishing around in a drawer and tossing him a bag…

"My child! My precious!" exclaimed the DNA lab tech once he'd spotted what was inside. Eyes shining with unshed tears, he looked at her, and bowed. "For returning my Blue Hawaiian, Alex, I am forever in your debt."

Rolling her eyes at the corny behavior, Alex pointed out, "It's just coffee, Greg."

"You have no idea, do you?" returned Greg, before skipping off to hide his stash.

Shaking her head in fond amusement, Alex sipped some of her coffee, feeling like a million dollars.

The feeling intensified when a pair of arms slid around her, and she turned, smiling into Nick's eyes.

"We're at work," she pointed out.

"Do you always state the obvious like that?" asked Nick, eyes lit with something like loving amusement.

"When I have to, yes." Firmly she extricated herself from his embrace. "Not at work, Nicky."

Sighing, he nodded. "Okay."

A cough alerted them to Grissom's presence. Both of them turned automatically. Grissom gave them both his angelic smile as he held out a folder for Nick.

"Possible suicide at the Monaco," he said, in his quiet voice. "Catherine's waiting for you outside."

Taking the folder, Nick nodded, and headed out, only pausing to ask, "Alex, you free after shift?"

She gave him a surprised look. "Yeah. Unless some inconsiderate people choose to burden me with piles of evidence."

Nick grinned. "Okay, I'll take you for breakfast." He winked. "Not Rosa's this time."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "I was under the impression that a girl had to agree to be taken out first. Did I say I wanted to go out with you?"

The CSI 3 glanced at her, uncertain. "Uh, no?"

"Well?" She frowned at him.

"Um, do you want to go out with me for breakfast?" Nick asked meekly, wondering if he'd blown it.

Alex gave him a grin. "Yeah, of course I would!"

A beat passed, before Nick realized she'd been playing him all along.

He grinned. "Okay, I'll see you there."

Grissom rolled his eyes at all their fooling around, and left Alex in the break room with a friendly grin.

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She was being followed. It was a blue Camero, and it had been shadowing Nick and Alex for the past hour or so after their shift had ended. All the way from the crime lab.

"Nick, can you excuse me for a second?" Alex asked, releasing her grip on his arm with a sweet smile.

He gave her a surprised look, but nodded. "Sure."

"Be right back," Alex promised. With that, she turned, heading directly over to the Camero parked by the curb. Leaning over, she tapped on the window until the driver rolled it down.

"You following me for a reason, or don't you have enough work to do?" she asked the culprit, eyebrows raised.

Terry Shan took one look at his sister's face and figured that she wasn't going to accept anything but the truth.

"Oh, I have enough work to get me stressed just thinking about it," he responded, nodding to Nick as the CSI came over, "But Dad put me on babysitting duty."

"Why?" Alex leaned right in, growling a little. Terry had always suspected she was part feral.

"He cares so much about his little baby girl and wants to make sure her new boyfriend is taking good care of her," he offered.

Nick gave him a disgusted look. "Your dad really thought I'd hurt Alex? What kind of person does he think I am?"

The young woman in question laughed at that, swatting her boyfriend on the arm. "Nick," she said, "He's either being sarcastic, or lying."

She turned a glare at her brother. "Cut the BS."

Terry grunted. "I told Dad you wouldn't fall for it." Coming clean, he explained. "Your last scan showed you had some sort of intense power surge in your mind the day you collapsed. Dad thinks you had a new mutant growth spurt."

"A what?" Nick.

"New mutant DNA is in constant flux and mutation," explained Terry. "It means that sooner or later, they all undergo a sort of power amplification, which we call a 'growth spurt'."

"Which means my healing and precog powers are a lot stronger than before I collapsed," summarized Alex. Nick didn't miss the sudden uncertainty in the brown gaze, and he squeezed her arm reassuringly.

"Hey," he admonished gently. "I'm not going anywhere."

Alex nodded, eyes smiling at him. She turned to her brother. "But Terry, it couldn't have been a growth spurt. Growth spurts don't hurt!"

Her brother nodded. "I told Dad that, he said since you weren't using your healing powers, and you weren't having a vision, your powers didn't have an outlet when your growth spurt hit. Therefore it gave you a serious migraine and it resulted in your collapsing. But now, you should be fine…but Dad made me shadow you just in case."

She rolled her eyes. "When will he realize that I'm no longer a baby?"

Terry rolled his eyes. "Well," he said, "I'm off to tell Dad I've been discovered…and TJ owes me ten bucks."

"How long did he think it would take me to notice?" asked Alex dryly.

"A week." Terry shot her a grin, before rolling up the window and driving off.

Nick moved to wrap himself around Alex once Terry was out of sight, as the young woman seemed about to collapse.

"Hey," he murmured. "We can always take a raincheck on dinner."

She looked at him. "Thanks, Nick."

She sounded so tired. "It hasn't been easy, has it?" asked Nick, steering Alex to his Tahoe.

She looked at him. Nodded. "No," she agreed softly, "It hasn't." Reaching to touch his cheek, Alex felt her body shudder with a vision, this one making her open her eyes to stare at Nick in wonder.

"What is it?" he asked, worried despite her smile.

Alex turned to face him, leaning in close as though to kiss him, but instead, she whispered, "How do you feel about becoming a father?"

Nick just stared at her, unable to believe what he'd just heard. "What?"

The young healer gave him a smile, before moving to the Tahoe and getting in without another word.

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Shout-outs go to:

Kat Hawkins - Like I told SpectralLady, the puppy dog eyes won't work on me. I am a puppy...a wolf puppy, but still a puppy. :p I do however accept bribes in the form of George Eads in chocolate sauce, and/or doggie treats. And don't worry about the men inwhite. I took care of them. (flashes feral eyes)

SpectralLady - Who said it was going to end? I'm still going strong, I just don't update so often cause I'm busy, and i have another fic, Jason:Reloaded to work on with Rhi...Other than that, have fun and keep reading!

love N/S - Thank you so much for the links, I even joined the Yahoo! group you sent to me... I read the interview, it seems George made a deal with Jorja Fox that if they both were still single at age 45, they'd marry each other...LOL, I wish he would marry me...now I gotta get to him before he turns 45...

gelf - I'll see if i can persuade RO and Ginger to come. They're busy people, but they never miss anything where there's "grape juice" involved.Make sure there's dog food for me, I like dog food, and Pokemon food for my minions...I've learnt a well-fed minion is an obedient and loyal minion. >:)

Okay guys! See you all in the next installment! (waves)


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: (mutters darkly to selfwhile drawing Evil Diagram No. 42) I don't own it...yet...

**Chapter 15**

Nick hurried after Alex as she headed for her apartment. "Wait up!" he called.

Alex turned to him, a grin on her face. "You have something you wanna know?" she asked.

Panting, Nick joined her, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"What did you mean?" he asked, looking intently at her.

Alex looked at him, realizing he wasn't in the mood to play around.

"I had a vision," she explained. "I saw myself holding a little boy, and he looked so much like you…"

Nick stared at her, slowly thinking it over and coming to the conclusion that you didn't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out…

"Holy cow!" he yelped, sweeping the surprised Alex into a hug. "You mean, you mean -"

His girlfriend grinned and shut him up with a kiss, to which the CSI was more than happy to respond.

When the need for oxygen finally forced them apart, Nick had just one more little question, "Uh, Alex? How can you be pregnant when we haven't even…uh, you know."

She grinned. "Well, we can rectify that little problem right now, can't we?"

She relished the smile that spread over Nick's face as he led the way.

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"Like a candle in the darkness," announced Sara as she walked into the break room the next night.

"Excuse me?" Catherine peered over at her co-worker over the rim of her coffee cup.

"Nick," said Sara, opening the fridge door. "He's _glowing_. Haven't you noticed?"

Warrick's eyes widened and he said, "I really hope you don't mean that in the literal sense. I don't know what Gris would say about us talking science fiction here."

She rolled her eyes at him. "He's glowing, as in: he's so happy he lights up the room."

The blonde at the table lifted her head to stare at Sara. "Nick's happy? Why?"

Sara shrugged, then winked and said, "Alex would probably know. She's lit up like a glow worm buddy too."

A collective "ah" filled the break room as her colleagues collected and processed that information.

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Time passed by quickly for those in love, too quickly it seemed sometimes. Cases came and went, and the bond Alex shared with Nick grew each day.

The only thing was that Alex's vision didn't seem to be coming true just yet.

Still, destiny had its own timing, and Alex knew better than to question it. Patience was the key to virtue, after all…and anyway, kicking things made your feet hurt.

Talking about time…Alex was late for her breakfast appointment with the rest of the CSIs. They'd invited her to join them for Chinese food in the break room at the end of shift, and she had agreed. It wasn't often the whole graveyard shift could get together for some downtime.

Alex was greeted warmly by everyone, as she took a seat next to Nick. Passing her the kung pao chicken, he said, "We thought you might not show up."

Was that nervousness she heard in his voice? Alex shrugged it off and started eating. "Ecklie came to dump some evidence on me, that's all. So I'm a little late."

"A little?" Warrick looked up at the clock. "Twenty minutes is 'a little'? Remind me that the next time I'm late clocking in, Grissom."

Grissom looked up from his advanced-level crossword puzzle. "Excuse me?"

"Really, Warrick," said Sara, looking up from her salad. "Did you expect Grissom to pay attention while he's in his crosswords?"

The tall man frowned. "You've got salad dressing on your face," he informed her.

She put her hand up to feel. "No, I don't."

He lifted the bottle and squirted some out onto his finger, before smearing a glob on her face. "You do now."

"Guys!" Nick hissed, anguished, as Sara wiped off the glob and prepared to retaliate.

Something about his tone raised Alex's suspicion. Finishing her wonton soup, she looked up warily and asked, "Is there something I should know?"

Nick jumped, exchanging a look with the others. "No, of course not," he assured her.

She eyed him, still uncertain. "Really?"

"Really."

It didn't sound very convincing, but Alex trusted her boyfriend, so…

She had barely returned to her meal when Warrick picked his fortune cookie out and broke it to remove the fortune, popping the cookie bits in his mouth and chewing.

"Wait three days before making a big decision, and then follow your heart," he read with his mouth full, spraying a few stray cookie crumbs over Sara, who scowled at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Greg, nearby. "Oh, hey! Read the lottery numbers on the back for me, Warrick."

"Get your own fortune from your own cookie," replied Warrick, rolling the paper into a tiny ball and flicking it into the dustbin.

Grumbling, Greg nonetheless rummaged for his fortune cookie. "Oh, this one's yours, Alex," he said suddenly, removing one from the take-out box.

Surprised, Alex took it. "Thanks, Greg," she said. "But I'm kinda full. I'll eat it later."

Nick spun to face her. "What?"

Alex looked at him, wondering what the problem was. "What do you mean, what? Can't I choose when and where I'll eat my own fortune cookie?"

Nick looked about to blurt something, but Grissom cut in. "No eating in this lab, Alex."

"Oh, yeah," Alex had momentarily forgotten that rule. "Sorry, Gris, I forgot."

Grissom got a funny look on his face, but he shrugged and said, "I'd just swallow it now, if I were you."

Sighing, Alex broke the cookie in half, and munched on it as she opened her fortune. This one seemed to be different from any fortune she'd ever gotten before. Frowning, she read:

_You are going to marry a man named Nick Stokes in two months time._

Alex stared at the Sentence as though she had never seen words before.

"Nick?" she sputtered, almost choking on her cookie.

Lab Tech Asphyxiates On Fortune Cookie. She could just see the headlines now.

When she turned, though, Nick wasn't in his seat next to her. He was kneeling on one knee beside her, taking hold of one of her hands to ask tentatively, "Alex? Will you marry me?"

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Shout outs:

gelf - Not yet she isn't. But soon. I hope. :) And I can't write if you're going to describe doggie food ingredients in front of me!

SpectralLady - Oh, I see. Well, Rhi's not feeling too well right now, or we'd be working on the next chappie so you can review. You can always review anonymously, if you feel you can't wait. ;)

Kat Hawkins - Even double-drought sedatives can't do much more than knock a wolf feral out for more than a few minutes. >:) Say, if you're an MX fan, here's a forum you can join: w w w . mutantxphoenix . com / forum .Without the spaces in between, of course. ;)

And when is Valentine's Day where you stay? I live in Malaysia, for us it's February 14th. But I guess I did meet your deadline anyway, so...read and review. :p

love N/S - Glad you're still with me. DCHeesegirl seems to have left the building. :( As for their getting married, i dunno if Alex is ready.

Right. Now, Stage One of Evil Plan No. 52 of page 150 of the Evil Genius Training Guide shall now be unfolded!

(releases her pack of trained wolves to infiltrate CBS headquarters)

(sends her trusted Pokemon, Eevee, in to lead the wolves)

(sits back and starts working on Doomsday Device No. 49 according to Diagram 42 of the Evil Genius Training Manual)


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: (chuckles as her wolf pack guards the _real_ owners of CSI) I own CSI now, all right...(evil laughter, which is interrupted by the arrival of the pasky hero) Excuse me.

**Chapter 16**

Alex was speechless. No one had ever proposed to her in their life, and she stared at Nick for a long time before Warrick coughed and said, "Alex? You gonna answer him or do we wait in suspense until the apocalypse?"

Laughing, she threw herself at Nick, just managing to get out, "Yes, oh yes…"

The rest of the graveyard shift clapped, with a few wolf-whistles from Greg as Nick swept her into a delighted kiss. Even Grissom was smiling.

Breaking off the kiss, Nick slid a shiny ring onto Alex's finger, kissing it into place, before looking up to gaze into Alex's eyes.

They didn't even the notice the rest of the team exchange quietly amused glances and steal quietly out of the break room.

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"How long have you been planning this?" Alex wanted to know once they were alone.

"About a few months now," replied Nick, kissing her fingers.

"Really?"

"Really."

"And the others knew?"

"Nope." Nick grinned. "Just told them today. I needed their help with the fortune cookie part, I was so nervous I was afraid I'd mess up."

Alex laughed. "What on earth gave you the idea to put it in my fortune cookie?"

The CSI grinned. "Well…I did tell the others once that I knew how the fortune got into the cookie, and so…"

She shook her head fondly. "I don't know whether to call you a genius, or crazy."

"All things considered, I prefer genius," said Nick. He leaned in, but Alex pulled away.

"Not at work, Nicky," she reminded him, with a mischievous grin.

"We just got engaged!" complained Nick.

She thought that over. "Hm. No."

Laughing at the look on his face, she gave him a kiss before pulling away, and heading for the Trace Lab.

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The office was dark, and for the first time since Grissom had made it his own with his jars of things that grossed people out and his tarantula and his bugs, he felt…it was too dark. Lonely. Quiet.

The CSI supervisor flashed onto Alex's joyful face as she hugged Nick. His daughter. Well, his biological daughter. She was engaged. She'd be married in two months. To say time flew by was an understatement.

Grissom swallowed hard, wondering why his vision was blurring suddenly. Stupid glasses…he'd have them checked, maybe his power had increased.

Wetness on his cheek ruled out that possibility, and Grissom mopped it away, mortified, not wanting anyone to walk in and find him crying.

As though thinking the idea had conjured it to life, Catherine walked in just then. She took one look at him and closed the door.

"Oh, Gil," she breathed, moving to sit in front of him.

Catherine was the one person Gil had ever told about Alex. After a case, she had revealed something about herself, and something had made Gil say, "I've never told anyone this before, Catherine, but…I have a daughter."

Now, Catherine held him close and wiped away his tears, and to the entomologist's great shock…he found he didn't mind.

Cath looked at him gently when it was over. "You've put this off long enough, Gil," she told him firmly. "You never replied Kitty's letter about Alex, allowed her to think you don't give a damn all these years… you need to talk to Kitty. To Alex. You owe them that much, Gil."

Grissom swallowed again. Looked into Catherine's blue eyes. Nodded. "I will."

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The break room was empty when Gil went to look for Alex at the end of shift, as was the Trace lab and female locker room. The supervisor didn't give up though, but continued through all the likely places in the lab until he found Alex making out with Nick in his office.

Their reaction speed was incredible, he noted calmly as they both noticed him and practically threw themselves away from each other.

Grissom didn't say anything. From the red-faces both were sporting, it was clear he didn't have to.

"There a reason you chose my office?" he asked carefully.

"It was empty, and the lock actually functions," explained Nick, still red.

The supervisor nodded. "Not exactly helpful when someone has a key, Nick."

If it were possible for the deep red blush to darken, it did. "I forgot."

"So noted." Grissom pointed to the door. "You have work?"

"Right, yeah," Nick shot Alex a look. "Um, see you later?"

She nodded, casting Grissom a nervous glance.

Once Nick was out of the way, Grissom grabbed the opportunity and said, "By the way, Alex, I was wondering if it were possible for me to give you a ride home later?"

She turned, startled. "Um, sure…why?"

Grissom gave her his angelic smile, this one tinged with nervousness. "I'd like to speak to your mother."

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Alex led the way up the drive way, checking over her shoulder every few minutes to make sure Grissom was keeping up with her, and padded right up to the front door where she rang the doorbell and yelled, "Drop the magazine and answer the door, TJ!"

Surprisingly, Grissom seemed right at home once her lazy brother had let them in. He looked as though the living room he was standing in was his natural habitat, and Alex grinned to herself as she went upstairs to get her mother.

Kitty Shan met her halfway, looking ruffled and in shock. "Alex? I saw you walking in with someone…your supervisor?"

"Yeah," Alex nodded. "He wanted to see you. I don't know, I feel like I'm back in high school and Grissom's my principal."

Her mother gave a weak smile. "Heh. Right. Send him up to my bedroom, would you dear? I have a feeling I know what he wants to talk to me about."

Grissom's voice interrupted them. "Hello," he greeted quietly from the top of the stairs.

Alex whirled. "Griss?"

He nodded, but his eyes were on Kitty. "Kitty."

She swallowed. "Hello, Gil."

"You two know each other?" blurted Alex, feeling relief in the back of her mind that this wasn't about failing grades as a lab tech or something.

"You could say so, yes," her mother replied, her voice strangely calm. "Gil and I had an affair about 27 years ago."

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Shout-outs:

love N/S - Nick having a vision? Nah, he was just worried she wouldn't eat her cookie and his carefully prepared plan would fail. Glad you liked it. (hugs)

gelf - LOL. True. But they'll be in eventually. ;)

SpectralLady - Thanks, i got the idea from a s3 or s4 epi, can't remember which...they were eating and Grissom asked who knew how the fortune got into the cookie, and Nick explained everything...

Kat Hawkins - Darn, I wanted to eat - I mean, _meet,_your rabid cow...Rabid cows are so tasty - i mean, so much fun! And I'd forget the potions, if i were you. I'm half-feral, half-witch. In fact i'm a Charmed Feral sister. >:)

DCHeesegirl - You're back! (hugs) Spontaneous, huh? I was under the impression that he planned it.

Detective Faith Boscorelli - An unfinished review? But still a review i guess... remember, Faith, always finish what you star

CatherineLouise - but it is complete. In my head, anyway. >:) Here's a hint - you want me to finish it fast? Start reviewing more.

future tkd blackbelt - You read it! You reviewed! Yay! While waiting for the next chappie, you might update your fic, eh:) Thanks so much, I love you! (hugs)

Now, if everyone will excuse me, I have to get back to defeating this pesky hero.

"Now you see that evil will always triumph, because good is dumb."


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: (is still locked in battle with the pesky hero)

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**Chapter 17**

Instead of freaking out, as Grissom would have expected, Alex just raised an eyebrow at her mother.

"Right, and yesterday I saw a flying donkey," she responded.

Kitty sighed. It as going to be a long day. Not laughing, she looked steadily at her daughter.

"I've lived with guilt every day of my life, sweetheart," she whispered. "The fact that your father forgave me made things so much easier. He loved me then, he loves me now…I was a fool." She glanced at Gil to see how he would take that, but Grissom kept his face impassive.

She knew the moment Alex finally realized she was telling the truth. Her eyes widened in horror.

"I…you…" she sputtered. "Daddy told me you had had an affair once – he just didn't tell me who you had it with, and I thought I didn't want to know…"

Kitty waited patiently, as Alex worked out the math in her head. "27 years ago, Mom?" she repeated.

"Yes, sometime around the beginning of the year," replied her mother.

"January 3rd," Gil's voice broke in. "We met at a conference your mother attended on your father's behalf, at the Rampart hotel. She was wearing a blue dress, pearl necklace, and black heels. I couldn't have resisted her if I tried."

The young woman stared at him, too zonked to wonder how exactly Gil remembered that day down to the smallest details.

"But that would mean that Adam couldn't possibly be my biological father…" she said in a strange voice that told Kitty she was only just trying to accept this.

"Yes, honey," she said. "That's correct. Gil is your father…biologically."

"But…didn't he know about me?" asked Alex, clearly hurt.

"I did, your mother wrote to tell me I had a daughter." Gil's gaze was steady, though apologetic. "I just…I was afraid. I didn't know how to handle it. It took me a long time before I finally got the courage to hire a PI. He found you…shortly after you joined CSI."

Well, he didn't hire me because I'm his daughter, thought Alex, numbly. That's something, at least.

"I need a nap,' she muttered. And she hadn't said that since she was five.

Neither her mother nor Gil protested.

It wasn't until she reached her room and moped for a while that she realized it wasn't a nap she needed…what she needed right now, was Nick. The man whom she loved, who had become her rock in the churning waves of the storm that was her life.

Getting up, she climbed out the window, slid down the tree outside so fast that she scraped at least ten layers of skin off her hands, and headed for her car without even noticing the pain.

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Nick's house was right where she remembered it, thankfully. If she had somehow driven all this way only to find Nick had moved or something, Alex would probably have headed for the nearest cliff next. Were there cliffs in Vegas? Or maybe she'd get lucky and drown in the desert.

"Alex?" Nick answered the door. "What's wrong?" he asked. Catching sight of her wrists, he exclaimed, "You're bleeding."

Turning her gaze to her torn wrists, Alex suddenly realized she was in pain. And bleeding, like the man said – hey, Nick hadn't gotten to CSI3 by being lucky. Although, if they judged careers by how many times one stated the obvious, he might have had a few problems.

"Come in," Nick ordered, taking her by the arm. For once, Alex was glad that someone else was taking charge of her life.

While she sat on the sofa staring at nothing, Nick got the first aid kit out of the bathroom. His house was so…Nick. The furniture arrangement was manly, but he obviously kept things neat, and the taste in décor spoke of an artistic side that Nick kept hidden.

Plus, he had Luna cable – a hundred and fifty channels, dude, which was heaven right here on earth.

"Pity you can't heal yourself," said Nick, offering her a gentle smile. He obviously knew something was wrong, but he wasn't going to push just yet.

Alex winced at the sudden sting as he applied antiseptic lotion, but it was gone by the time he wrapped bandages around her wrists and kissed them into place.

To top things off, he then got up next to her and let her fall on him, snuggling her in his embrace.

It was enough to make the dam burst – Alex started crying.

Nick held her, waiting patiently until she stopped.

"You wanna tell me what happened or do I have to search for evidence and then interrogate you?" he teased lightly.

She gave him a watery smile, and hiccupped as he handed her a tissue. Blowing her nose, she proceeded to bring him up to speed on what had happened.

"I just couldn't take it anymore, Nick," she whispered. "I had to see you."

The CSI himself was asorbing everything she had just told him, but now he hugged her.

"Well," he pointed out, "Grissom did make an effort to come clean today, didn't he?"

A sniff. "Yes."

"And you thought of Grissom as your father before this anyway, right?"

Another sniff. "Yeah…"

"And you really don't have any reason to be crying other than you got a shock, right?"

"Huge shock, yes," she agreed, and managed a laugh. "I don't deserve you," she said, punching him lightly on the nearest leg.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," he murmured. "While you're here, do you want to stay over?"

She smiled at him. "I don't have any clothes here, Nick."

"That's not a problem…okay, it is," he amended as she gave him a look. "You can borrow one of my shirts?"

She considered that. Briefly. Very briefly.

"How big's your bed?" she asked at last.

Grinning, Nick scooped her up and carried her to his bedroom. "How about I show you?"

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Right, to all my loyal reviewers, I wish to apologize profusely for the long wait between updates. You see, I was striken with the terrible diesease that all writers fear - writer's block.It took me quite a while to get over it, and now...I am BACK!

So, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and here are the shout-outs as usual:

SpectralLady - At least you get some episodes. I have to rely on my DVD and VCD collection, since I don't have the cable channel, which is where s5 is currently airing. (hands SpectralLady a Grissom plushie) Sh. Don't tell anyone I gave you this, these are really rare... Go hide it in your room or something!

CatherineLouise - Uh...all my reviewers get shout-outs. i do that so people don't think that I don't notice when they put effort into reviewing. I always thank all my reviewers, even if they flame me to the seventh hell. Then again...i don't really notice flames. (ponders) In fact, I usually laugh at them.

love N/S - I love you! You've been with me for so long, and you're still here! (gives George Eads plushie to love N/S)

gelf - I'm GOING TO defeat him. You just watch. I'm the Dark Wolf, remember? (slashes at pesky hero with claws)

CSIcrazy - (is rendered speechless by the terrific review and almost gets stabbed by the pesky hero...) Wow, glad you like the fic! You must have enjoyed it, you reviewed twice!

For that, you get a Nick plushie. (hands one over) Enjoy! All my plushies are life-sized and anatomically correct too! >:)

Okay people. I've just figured out the only way for me to defeat the pesky hero is for you guys to help me by pressing the purple button down there and giving me reviews! Yes! Then i can get rid of him. Help me, guys! Please review!

RK9.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I have defeated the pesky hero! These characters are all mine...waitaminute. This isn't the CBS building! This is the Tribune HQ! What am I doing here? Mutant X ended, so I don't need it...Eevee! (grumbles that good minions are so hard to find these days...)

So, it turns out that for now, I still don't own them. Bummer.

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**Chapter 18**

Wedding music played as the bride came down the aisle, holding on to the arm of a very proud Adam Kane. His daughter looked radiant, dressed in a simple yet beautiful wedding dress, while one of Nick's many nieces held her train behind her. Derek was the ring-bearer, looking solemn as he walked along. Lindsey Willows was one of the flower girls, to Catherine's delight and pride.

Nick was trying not to fidget over by the altar, and Warrick, the best man, reached over to poke him.

"You'll be fine," he hissed. "But if you keep fidgeting, I'll kick you out of the church myself."

Swallowing, Nick nodded and stood still for about ten seconds, then he fidgeted again, causing Warrick to sigh.

Adam stepped away from Alex just then, handing her arm to Grissom, who took it rather self-consciously. The young healer gave him a smile, and he nodded and started walking. He was actually sorry when they reached the altar and he had to give Alex's hand to her husband-to-be.

The wedding service was short and simple, and when Nick was finally given permission to kiss the bride, he did so with plenty of enthusiasm, eliciting a wolf-whistle from Greg and Warrick each – with Alex's brothers joining in enthusiastically.

Grinning, the Texan surprised everyone, his new wife included, by picking up his bride and carrying her out of the church to the car waiting outside.

"They're leaving so soon?" asked Lindsey, surprised.

"Don't worry," a grinning Warrick assured her. "We'll see them at the reception lunch. Nick's just being his usual dramatic self."

"Heh," said Lindsey, amused. "Cute."

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The music swirled around her as she closed her eyes and let the notes wash over her like waves in the sea. Alex felt like purring, she was so happy.

Someone snapped her out of that bliss by snapping two fingers in front of her face.

She opened her eyes reluctantly, and smiled at her brother. "Hey, Terry."

He grinned. "I can't believe you're married now."

She laughed. "Yeah. I think I said the same thing to you at your wedding."

He turned serious. "Yeah, well, if your wedding turns out the way mine did…I'll never forgive Nick."

She looked at him. "Terry," she said, wondering if he was serious.

"I mean it," he said firmly. "If Nick hurts you, they'll never find the body."

Touched, Alex hugged her brother. "Thanks, bro."

A tap on the shoulder made her turn around, to see her husband grinning at her, offering her a hand.

"They want us to dance," Nick explained. "Shall we?"

Swallowing, Alex replied nervously, "Uh, Nick, I don't dance so good."

"She dances like a lumberjack," Jim put in helpfully, only to have Brianna swat him on the shoulder. "Ow!"

"Like a one-legged lumberjack," agreed TJ nearby.

"Like a one-legged lumberjack whose remaining leg is a tree-stump," finished Max.

"I'll take care of these clowns for you, Alex," said Brianna, grinning conspiratorially at her sister-in-law. "You go dance."

Grinning, Alex rose, taking Nick's hand. "Thanks, Bri!" she called over her shoulder.

Usually when Alex danced with someone, she'd start praying that she wouldn't step on their toes or embarrass herself. But here, with Nick, she felt…more confident somehow, as though she knew that this would be the most memorable dance of her life.

She was almost sorry when the music ended, but Nick didn't stop there. The song was a slow one, and Alex sighed happily as she leaned her head on Nick's shoulder.

"Tired?" Nick whispered in her ear.

"A little," she admitted.

"Well, this'll all be over soon, we can head off for our honeymoon and have a good long rest." Nick leaned in, giving her a kiss, and she smiled.

"I forgot to tell you," she began, only to be cut off as a voice said,

"Mind if I cut in?" Adam gave his daughter a smile, and she looked at Nick, who replied,

"Sure, go ahead."

"We'll talk later," Alex mouthed at him, before her father took her hand and led her to another place on the dance floor.

The young woman didn't get a chance to talk to Nick until they were in the air later that night, headed for their honeymoon destination in Miami.

"So," asked Nick, covering her hand with his, "What were you trying to tell me earlier?"

"Oh, yeah," Alex grinned, turning to him. "I went to the doctor a couple days ago. I thought I was having the flu, but it turns out – I'm pregnant!"

Nick choked on his drink, and Alex laughed as she patted him on the back.

When Nick finally stopped, he turned to Alex, looking…awed. That was the only word to describe his expression just then. Reaching over, he placed a hand carefully on Alex's stomach, and gave her a slow, incredulous smile.

"I'm gonna be a dad?" he asked, amazed.

"That pretty much sums it up, yes," Alex laughed. Grinning, she added in a lower voice, "Oh, and I had a premonition. You wanna know the gender?"

Her husband shrugged. "I don't really mind – either way I'll love him or her."

His wife smiled a secret smile to herself. "Okay."

She leaned against him, and yawned. "Think I'll take a nap," she said sleepily. Closing her eyes, she waited until she felt Nick relax into sleep against her before saying softly, "If it's a surprise you want, a surprise it shall be, Nicky."

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This fic is almost over, folks, and I'd like to thank everyone for sticking with me until now. There will be a final chapter, which I shall work on in between working on articles for my class magazine, and studying for my two final tests tomorrow. There you shall find out the gender of Nick and Alex's child (not what you'd think, but there _are_ only two options, after all.), and there will be...a farewell party. In the story, unfortunately not here.

But hey, if you guys like the ending, there's always the possibility of a sequel, I suppose. (ducks as the reviwers throw rotten eggs and fruit at her) Okay, okay! I'll only do a sequel if enough of you guys want one. I promise. Scout's honour. I do have other fics to work on anyway. ;)

Right, the shout-outs(you know, if you guys don't get a shout-out, make sure you complain to me, cause I try to shout to every single one of my reviewers, just so they know I appreciate their reviews):

Kat Hawkins - How'd I get this chapter done while I was in your crystal cage? Well, you see, i have this sister named Sara (she betaed one of my chapters for me), who has the power to open the earth beneath us...anyway, she gave me a hand. If I were you, I'd make sure that crystal cage covers every possible escape route the next time. >:) Oh, and here's your Nick plushie. Sorry i forgot it the last time. (hands Nick plushie to Kat) And I thought your cow was Hatsuharu? Or do you have two rabid cows? (licks lips and grins hungrily)

And yes, you're reading that right. Alex should be over the moon, but being the terrible writer I am, I changed that bit.

gelf - Both! I want both reviews and snacks! I never saw a purple basket, though...Gator tail? I love gator tail! In fact I love any food that ain't spicy, or that isn't vegetables. :)

love N/S - Thanks, sweetie. (hugs) I didn't see those pics, but I will. Someday. As soon as I get some free time. (makes mental note of it)

SpectralLady - Only for season 3 and 4. I have s2 on VCD, and I'm looking out for s1 on DVD or VCD. And wherever you hide the plushie, make sure it's not somewhere anyone could find it, like under your bed. The 'drown in the desert' part was an in-joke for the s2 episode where Nick found a woman who drowned in the desert. :) Thanks, dear.

cenas-lil-hottie- Thanks for the review! Keep reading!

CatherineLouise - Aw, look, you made me blush. (blushes) Thanks for the compliments, dear, but do try and keep them to a minimum...my head will explode otherwise. :) (hugs) You get a Nick plushie for that. (hands one over)

Okay, guys, hang in there! The epilogue's coming soon (I hope)!

RK9/christiancsifreak


	19. Epilogue

Disclaimer: (is planning a new plan to take over the CBS HQ...) Maybe for the sequel, eh?(stops to think about what she just said) Then again, that's if the inspiration tells me I need a sequel...

Notes: Gelf, for guessing ahead of time what the surprise was, you get _two _plushies - a Shalimar and an Emma plushie, for you to do whatever you wish to do with them. (presents plushies to gelf ceremoniously) :)

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**Chapter 19 – Epilogue**

"Happy birthday, Daddy." Alex leaned in to give her father a kiss on his cheek. Adam grinned, hugging her.

Holding out a gaily – if not neatly – wrapped present, Alex grinned at her father, who took it, thanking her.

"I thought I said no presents this year," he grinned, shaking the box gently as he tried to guess what was inside. Nodding at Alex's obviously pregnant form, he added, "The grandchildren are more than enough for an old man like me."

"Don't be silly, you're not that old." Alex smiled. "And you said _I _couldn't give you any presents, but that rule didn't apply to Nick. He bought it. I wrapped it – and _we_ hope you like it."

Her husband sauntered up just then, wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulders as he wished his father-in-law a happy birthday.

"Thanks for the present, Nick." Adam shook it again, asking, "What's inside?"

"Nothing special, Adam, just a new shirt," answered Nick, before he turned to his wife. "By the way, Chris has been yelling for you for the past twenty minutes."

His wife sighed and said, "I'll go see to him, then."

She didn't have to go very far, Greg came running by just then, pursued by Nick and Alex's three-year-old son, Christopher Adam Stokes, and Chris' twin sister, Ava Gillian. Both twins had inherited their father's darkly handsome looks and their mother's love of mischief.

"Greg!" squealed Ava in delight as they finally caught up to the panting lab tech, who was wondering why he had even started this game of tag.

"We caught you!" sang Chris proudly.

"And I've caught you!" said Alex, scooping up her son quickly. He giggled, snuggling into her arms as his father rescued Greg from Ava.

"Just promise me the next one will be quiet," pleaded Greg dramatically, pretending to faint.

Hiding a smile, Alex had a sudden vision of Greg being pursued by three noisy children in the years to come, and she quietly said, "We'll see, Greg."

Nick set Ava on the ground and offered, "Here, let me take Chris. You're tired."

"I'm not that tired," replied Alex firmly, but she allowed Nick to take her little boy from her arms and help her to a chair.

Looking up, Alex found that she was finally…content and happy with how her life had turned out. In all her wildest visions, she had never foreseen this sort of happiness – she sighed, looking around at her family and her friends in her CSI family who were gathered here for Adam's birthday party.

Nick settled in a chair beside her just then. Ava had dropped off to sleep in his arms, and Alex felt relieved.

"You know," Nick said, turning to her. "Adam said there's a possibility that the twins have inherited your 'gifts'."

"I know," Alex sighed. She reached over to ruffle Ava's hair, smiling softly at her daughter. "It's 50-50, since you're a perfectly normal human being – lucky dog," she teased.

He grinned, leaning in, his tone of voice seductive as he said, "You know, later tonight I could show you exactly how 'abnormal' I can be if I want…"

"Nick," Alex said, doing her best imitation of her mother, "Not in front of the children."

He laughed, but quietly, so he wouldn't wake Ava. "Well," he said, "If they do inherit your powers, I can't promise that I'll be able to help much…but I promise to stand by you no matter what."

"Cause you love me and all that?" asked Alex, smiling.

"Yeah, cause I love you and all that," agreed Nick. He leaned in to kiss her, then rose and said, "I'd better get our two troublemakers to sleep. You rest up, okay? I'll be back."

"Okay," Alex agreed meekly, watching him as he walked away. Her eyes widened as over his shoulder, little Ava stirred, and raising a hand, she literally produced a tiny spark of electricity from the ends of her fingers, giggling as she did so.

"Oh," breathed Alex. Her husband hadn't yet noticed, but wait till she managed to tell him…

"So, I guess it does run in the family after all."

Alex turned to see Grissom, standing just behind her. The entomologist had reacted well to becoming a grandfather, and had been even more pleased when they had given their daughter the name "Gillian" as a second name.

"You knew?" Alex asked, not really surprised, but curious. "You knew about my powers all along?"

"Adam and I sat down for a heart-to-heart while you were on your honeymoon a few years back," replied Gil. He shrugged. "He didn't tell me everything, but he told me enough for me to understand that you were different."

She was silent for a moment, before she asked, "Do you mind?"

He thought that over, then replied, "Honestly? No. It's not whether we have powers or not that makes us who we are, Alex. It's what we have in here that counts." And he placed her hand over her heart.

"Your mother taught me that," he smiled. "And I think she's right. And maybe, just maybe, you and Nick are the key to teaching the rest of the world that important little message as well."

Finishing, he smiledand said, "You've built a bridge of love between our two worlds, and the other thing your mom taught me is that a bridge built out of love is more powerful than any other, and will withstand the test of time better than steel or concrete ever will."

And with that thought, Gil left, and Alex nodded slowly to herself as she took in all that he had said.

"Hey," Nick's voice said, and she turned to him. "The others are about ready to cut the cake."

She took the offered hand, and gave him a kiss.

"What was that for?" asked Nick, when she pulled away. "Not that I'm complaining."

She smiled. "That's my secret," she answered. "But mostly, it's because I love you."

"Now," she said, turning to walk ahead,"Let's go cut that cake."

The End-

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Well, that's it people! The fic that I started so long ago (last year) has finally ended! (sobs) And it's (sniff) time to say... (sniffles more) goodbye!

(bursts into tears)

Right, to all my reviewers, who have stuck with me until now, I thank you all so much for your support and friendship as I wrote this fic. (blows nose loudly) This is the final time I will do shout-outs for Gifts and Curses, and I just wanna say I will miss everyone a lot - of course, there is always the possibility of a sequel. Maybe. I dunno. I have to think about it.

(You guys convincing me to do a sequel in your final reviews would help a lot, i think. >:) )

Shout-outs:

love N/S - I think George looks good no matter what, but lately his almost bald head has been annoying. i'm glad it grows back. (hugs) I'll miss you! You've been here since the start. (sniffles) But anyway, my e-mail is in my profile if you ever wanna contact me.

gelf - Do you have recently discovered psionic abilities? How did you guess? (sticks tongue out at gelf) Anyway, you got your plushies, so... And don't you have a fic to finish?

CatherineLouise - (stage whisper) Don't worry, dear. I dance with my Nick plushie all the time. You'll learn to ignore the stares and whispers. What do those people know about anything, right? Insane is fun! (cue evil laugh)

SpectralLady - Your dog's allowed in the house? You're so lucky - mine have to stay outside in the yard. And hide that plushie well...i might not be around to give you another if you lose it.

Kat Hawkins - A cow? (tummy rumbles) Just for me? Aw...that's sweet of you. (looks hungrily around) So, where is it?

And her fathers...well. They reacted quite well, didn't they?

Okay, that's it! This fic is over, time for me to send you all home, i've kept you guys here long enough...

(bawls some more)

(sniffles) I can't let you go! I think I need therapy.

(goes off to see her shrink Dr Kilmartin)

And people! People! Yoo-hoo! Don't forget to drop me one final review!

(cries into Dr Kilmartin's shirt at the word "final". Dr Kilmartinscribbles on his clipboard, and pats RK9 on the back)

Dr Kilmartin: Right. Um. I'll take care of her. You guys can go now. Thanks for everything! (sighs as RK9 dissolves into more tears) What am I gonna do with her now?


End file.
